As the Seventh Month Dies
by Sylvia1
Summary: The time is before the Prophecy, and a young Lucius Malfoy is sent to explore the disappearance of a Death Eater family. Severus and Lucius have to figure out the mystery behind the murder, the prophecy, & how Lucius and Narcissa's son might be involved
1. The Case of AR Barnabus

Chapter 1: The Case of A.R. Barnabus

The street had become nearly desolate as the sun dipped down over the quaint houses and lush lawns that lined Mulberry Avenue. A few children rolled down the sidewalk on bicycles as the sky flushed ruby against the white clouds above. Then the summer insects started buzzing and in the distance a dog barked endlessly in homage to the darkening sky, until the entire road was dipped in inky black. There were a few daring street lamps of course, beaming yellow light against the darkness. The homes were lit up for a few hours as parents watched the latest news reports and finished shared meals with families. A handful of people were walking their dogs or sitting out on porches enjoying the nighttime air. It seemed that everyone was enjoying themselves on this warm, inviting evening. But one house on Mulberry wasn't full of laughter and talking. It was bereft of the smell of cooking food and the lights were all dim behind the curtained windows. In fact if anyone stopped to ask about such a home, within a few minutes their attention would be elsewhere and they would wonder what had behooved them to go exploring in such foreboding areas.

This tiny, unassuming house that sat rather quietly at 405 Mulberry Avenue had a secret few of its neighbors would guess. It was the home of a wizard by the name of Andy R. Barnabus, and he most certainly never had to worry about break-ins or thefts. He never paid taxes, never had visitors, and certainly never had house calls. Barnabus lived here with his wife and two children, Adrian and Emily. He was quite well respected at work, and had even made a name for himself in a local burgeoning activist group run by a man named Tom Riddle. Barnabus was, with the full consent and understanding of his family, a Death Eater. And only a few hours ago he had been killed.

#

The house looked rather desolate, at least from this angle, and Lucius took his broom around for a second glance before making his way down. There were very few potential onlookers, and he wasn't sure if that meant he had good luck or if it was a bad omen. Sweeping his black-lacquered broom around in the sky, he saw the perfect landing spot in the small backyard, enclosed in a high wooden fence. To anyone that might have glanced in his direction, they'd only see a smearing of shadow, typically considered an optical illusion or a trick of the sky. Whatever they would call it, they wouldn't see him. It was one of the many uses this black cloak had when he was on such a mission.

He landed smoothly on the sod that came up to his calf and, retrieving his wand from his pocket, shrunk his broom down till it was no bigger than a toothpick. He placed it in an inner pocket of the shadowy robe and took a look around. From the outside, the house was rather mundane. Decrepit even. The shingles were mostly gone from the roof, and the fence had so many gaping holes in it, he guessed that all manner of animals and muggle children made frequent trips inside. But if he knew Barnabus, they hadn't made a step into his house. The grounds would be well fortified, so Lucius needed to watch his step.

The back door was closed, though it barely hung from its rusted hinges. The dirt and grime was thick, and with each step he made he could spy things moving in the grass, scurrying out of the way of his footfalls. The doorknob had a thick spider web on top that looked like it had been there for years. Instinctively Lucius reached for his breast pocket to retrieve a handkerchief, but then realized he was in his Death Eater garb instead. It likely wasn't real of course, these were just the protections Barnabus had put up to thwart any suspecting muggles who became too curious. But that didn't stop him from feeling disgusted as his gloved fingers slipped between the silky web and pulled the door aside.

The inside of the building looked about as paltry as the outside. Honestly, the difficulties of living side by side with muggle houses – was it really worth it? He cast a quick charm on his feet so that he wouldn't disturb the dust beyond, and then began hunting for the real house entrance. He'd never been to Barnabus' home before, but he was given a rundown by those who had. Bella had been insistent that there was a basement door that led down to their abode, but it still took several minutes for Lucius to find it. The basement door was actually built to meld in with the wall, so he ended up passing it three times before he truly noticed it. He flicked his wand and the wall slid back soundlessly. Lucius smiled a bit to himself as he began descending the stairs, now he could truly get to work. He flicked his wand behind him to close up the passage and pulled down his hood. The air was chilly down here, but he had to admit it felt better than the stilting humidity upstairs.

As he walked, the wall mounted candelabras lit themselves, and Lucius wondered not for the first time that night what had made them frightened. After a week of not showing up to the Dark Lord's meetings, Barnabus should have fled the country rather than sit behind in his crummy little house. Yet Lucius was sent in to investigate and derive what information he could if Barnabus and his family were still here. Not that Lucius was particularly fond of such a task. As much as he appreciated the connections given to him by joining the Dark Lord, he wasn't much for administering torture. It was bloody usually. A Cruciatus curse cast long enough would begin rupturing all sorts of things. Not to mention that the screams tended to echo into his nightmares and bring on long bouts of insomnia. But likely that was why the Dark Lord assigned him this task: to be reminded of the more menial jobs in the work. He always liked to give him messy assignments when he felt Lucius was becoming too charismatic for his position.

And that was when Lucius found the house elf. Or at least part of him.

His head was upside down on the bottom landing just before he turned the corner into the living quarters, his eyes still wide, but quite foggy. Part of its head was smashed in as well, and Lucius wondered what killed it first: the fall or the lack of head? As he turned the corner, the smell hit him, and he had to brace himself against the stairway wall to keep from toppling over with nausea.

With a cough he cast a bubble-head charm on himself and closed his eyes as the scent evaporated from his newly craft helm. His pulse was thumping wildly in his ears, and he swallowed hard before opening his eyes again. The bodies of Mr. and Mrs. Barnabus were strapped to chairs beside the kitchen counter, their heads lolling at odd angles. And before them, spread out in horrific display of their living room were the bodies of their two children well, pieces of them anyway. Lucius made his way between both of them, finding his breath once again and now realizing what must have happened. They'd been dead a while, but it would probably still behoove him to do a check of the grounds just to be safe. In the meantime, he was going to need to call in backup.

With a twirl of his cape, he turned and headed back upstairs. He opened the door again to the decrepit part of the building, removed his bubble head charm and pulled his hood down again. The Death Eater mask formed on its own once the hood was in place, and Lucius whispered, "Severus."

He waited a few minutes. His mark would be itching, and the only way to relieve it was to put on his own hood. Meaning he'd have to extract himself from whatever he was wasting his time with, probably brewing some silly potion for St. Mungo's. Lucius was usually able to tell if he'd pulled his friend away from anything urgent simply by the tone of his voice.

An audible sigh rang in his ears, apparently Severus had been doing something he found somewhat interesting. Or he was just not in the mood to deal with Death Eater business. "What is it, Lucius?"

"I like to think my summons always cause a deeper burn for you, my friend."

Severus grunted, "Whatever."

It still amazed Lucius how even though he was now an intern at St. Mungo's, he still managed to sound like an emotional, depressed teen when he wanted to. "Look Severus, I need you to come to Barnabus' home, do you remember where that is?"

"Barnabus? Wasn't he the chubby fellow that nearly got killed by Bella?"

"Yes, when he thought she was a Mudblood? Yes, that's the one."

Severus' laughter was deep and sarcastic and vibrated within Lucius' mask. "Damn, he's lucky he's still got his skin."

"That's what I need your help with, Severus. Apparently he wasn't so lucky this time around. Not to mention his family."

Severus' laughter ceased and the connection was silent for a moment before he spoke again, "Where did you say his house was?"

Lucius gave him the information and could hear the hasty scribblings of a quill across parchment. "You'll find the entrance at a hidden door on the southern wall of the house. And Severus, let me stress the importance of caution here. Whoever did this may still be around, or have left spies behind."

"Do you think the Order's behind it?" There was a slight trace of concern in Severus' voice, indiscernible to anyone who didn't know him.

"I suppose it's possible, but I highly doubt it. Look you'll have to see the bodies yourself. I don't think even Alastor Moody could be capable of such cruelty."

#

Lucius headed back downstairs again and this time made sure he was prepared with a bubble-head charm. He wasn't sure he'd find anything down here, but he certainly didn't want to take any chances. He made his way through the adjoining kitchen and living room, careful to tread cautiously around the body parts that were tossed asunder. The children's bedroom he checked out first, drawn to a lantern that had fallen onto the floor and cast unusual shadows up onto the walls. If it hadn't been a magical lantern, then the entire house might have been burned down, and there might not have been any evidence left to examine. As it was, the flame touched the wood but didn't combust it. The beds which had lined opposite sides of the room had large red splotches of blood staining the white sheets. One of the beds was slightly at an angle, as though one of the children had tried to hang on before being ripped away to a messy demise. What other horrors had they experienced before being torn apart by their attackers? The attached bathroom looked clean, no sign of struggle or that it had even been visited in a while. There was a thin layer of dust upon the counter top, and he wondered if Severus would be able to date when last it was used.

Steeling himself, he left the children's quarters and headed for the parents' room. When he saw that the front door was lying at an angle with only one hinge attached, Lucius felt a pit of dread form in his stomach. If it was an omen of what he'd find inside, he was tempted to let it be. But what if the attacker was waiting within? He wouldn't be able to relax and begin assessing the details of this murder until he knew for certain that the area was secure. So he tightened his grip on his wand and pulled back the door. The single hinge squeaked in desperation before buckling in on itself, and the door came crashing down. Lucius was wound so tight he leapt nearly a foot back as the hinge snapped into two pieces and the wooden door landed with a bang, tossing dirt and debris out of its way.

Lucius stood looking at it for a few more minutes, his wand aimed at it as though it were secretly alive. His breathing was labored and it took him a moment to regain his composure. So much for any element of surprise he might have had. With a lift of his chin, he stepped over the door and into the bedroom, his wand still held out in front of him. This bed was very different from the children's, and somehow that made it all the more sinister. The sheets had been completely removed so that only the plain mattress stared back at him. But Lucius had been expecting a bloodbath in here, not this. His eyes darted from one pool of shadows to the next until he spotted a door. The only other door in the room, and since Barnabus' house was so pathetically small, it was the last place the killer could be hidden. He reached out a hand for the doorknob, when he heard a slight intake of breath. Not from the entrance of the house like he would have expected, but from the other side of the door. Lucius froze, his eyes staring at the door as though his gaze would bore a hole through and show him who it was. With a single fluid movement he took hold of the door handle, flung back the simple wooden door, and aimed his wand at the creature inside. His voice was thick and hissing through the mask as he screamed, "AVADA KAD-"

"Oh pleeese!" Screamed the naked creature within, halting Lucius in mid wand flick. He blinked, his eyes becoming adjusted to the darkness within. Standing on the floor in nothing but a giant white dress shirt was a greenish blue house elf. He was pulling his large ears down on either side of his head, giving him the unsettling appearance of a small child in a bonnet. He wasn't the ugliest house elf he'd ever seen, but he was certainly close. His face was marred with warts and his nose was longer than seemed possible for his head to hold. Then Lucius noticed the blood beneath the creature's feet, covering its bare feet.

He picked it up by the wrist, and brought him up face to face. "What did you do, you piece of filth?"

The house elf howled in pain and started grabbing at his captured hand, "Crimson didn't do anything, sir! Please let me go!"

And as the tiny thing struggled in his grasp, Lucius noticed the large, bloody welts across its back, staining the dingy shirt in red streaks in multiple directions. His arm too was covered in the welts, the same as his face. Lucius couldn't recall ever seeing a house elf that was an aqua color like this, and he was beginning to think the creature was jinxed when he heard a deep voice resonate near the doorway.

"Just put him down, Lucius."

Lucius jumped for a moment, before turning a sly smile toward Severus. "Don't you ever make noise when you walk, my friend?"

"Not if I can help it." Severus was having a hard time hiding his horror at the bodies he'd stepped around in the other room. "Is the place secure?"

"Other than this thing, it is."

"Crimson, sir! My name is Crimson!" The house elf had given up on struggling and had resigned himself to the grip around his wrist. "Please sir, Crimson didn't hurt master Barnabus."

Lucius tossed him into a corner of the kitchen as Severus took a closer look at the bodies of the parents. He pointed a finger at the house elf, "You are to stay here. Do not leave or even move without my permission. Am I clear?"

Crimson scratched absently at the warts that covered the back of his palms. "Y-yessir."

He made his way back in again to the living room to see Severus pushing back Ms. Barnabus' head to examine the empty eye sockets. He'd pulled off the mask and hood to get a better look, so Lucius decided to follow suite. "Pretty disgusting work, wouldn't you say? Someone was certainly pissed at Barnabus, though from what I can tell he had no real enemies to speak of." He smirked, staring at Severus with a cocky jaunt to his hips, "Well, no unusual enemies I guess I should say. We all certainly have enemies."

Severus' short grunt was the closest thing to a response Lucius got, but he always loved watching the dark-haired man work. It was almost as though he would enter a trance state. His eyes would glaze over, and he hung his lips ever so slightly open, as though he was just waiting for someone to kiss them...

"Lucius, this was no anger hit."

It took a moment for Lucius to realize that he was speaking to him, "I'm sorry?"

Severus glanced up from probing the empty eye socket, giving that quit-checking-me-out glare that somehow only made him more enticing. "The bodies, Lucius. Focus now, would you?"

"So you don't think it was the Order then."

Severus' grin turned toothy for just a moment, "The Order? Honestly Lucius, they're far too simple for this kind of work. And besides unless things have changed, Dumbledore doesn't exactly condone murder as a punishment."

"True, but that doesn't mean he won't start." Lucius pulled up the empty stool next to the dead woman. Somehow the room lost its level of disgust whenever Severus came in. His calm demeanor and frankness was as refreshing as a breeze in this stale air. "How have you been?"

Severus sighed, casting a Lumos charm to light his work as he dug into the woman's head. "Miserable. Apparently St. Mungo's is reluctant to promote me even with my extraordinary qualifications."

"Oh? Do you want me to pull strings?" Lucius leaned forward and tugged on a bit of black hair splayed out across his shoulders. "I don't mind, you know."

"I don't think even you could fix this problem. They know I'm a half-blood. And they want a _Pure-Blooded_ surgeon, else they're afraid they'll lose some of their wealthier clients. Apparently there's some foolish notion that any kind of muggle background makes for a poor talent."

Lucius frowned. Money and power could certainly fix a lot of problems, but blood it could not. Severus was indeed one of the most talented wizards he'd ever met, save for the Dark Lord of course. And the versatility that Severus had mastered –dark magic, healing charms, and potion work – made him a valuable commodity to the Death Eaters as a whole. However Lucius always felt that despite the money and influence he felt he could give his friend, Severus would never truly be happy in any wizarding position. Almost every facet that could truly give you wealth required a spotless heritage, and the documentation to prove it. With the large numbers of half-bloods in the wizarding world, Severus was only considered at half his potential simply due to his bloodline. It was a sorry lot to be given, and Lucius felt selfishly grateful for his own outstanding lineage. It was one of the chief ways his family had made so many galleons over the generations.

Severus gasped, biting his lip.

"What? What did you find?" Lucius leaned forward, holding a hand under his nose as though afraid he'd get blood splattered on him.

Severus put his wand aside, eased two fingers into the woman's skull, his eyes gleaming in the off-centered lighting of the room. Then he pulled out a blood-splattered silver chain out of the woman's eye socket. "This, my friend, is a very detailed ritual."

"What in the world?"

He pulled out the entire length of it, stretching nearly a meter. It clunked its heavy links against the kitchen countertop. Severus grinned as though he'd found the marble in the oatmeal.

Lucius looked at the length of it, the weight and heft. It made his stomach turn. "Why would anyone do that?"

"Two reasons, but first – would you be so kind?" He held out his bloody gloves with more annoyance than disgust. Lucius cleaned them off with a quick wave of his wand. "Thank you. Reason one: you're trying to give the impression of weight to the skull. Now this chain feels like it weighs, oh about a kilo or so. Wouldn't you say?" He held out the chain to Lucius. Unfortunately, it was still covered in blood and possibly even bits of flesh. Lucius took a deep breath to keep his stomach calm and proceeded to scurgify Severus' hands and every bit of the chain.

"Why don't I just trust your judgment of the weight, Severus?"

He grinned, another toothy grin that made Lucius' blood rage. "You pussy. Alright, so we'll assume I'm accurate about the weight. Damn, I wish I'd brought my scale... Anyway, we can assume that they did this to give the impression that portions of the brain weren't removed. But they were. And that's perhaps the most fascinating part!"

Severus was getting excitable about his bodies. That wasn't good. When Severus got excitable about a bunch or corpses, it inevitably led to things Lucius disliked. Such as carting the corpses around with them, or bringing pieces of them back for research. He was beginning to wonder why he'd contacted him to begin with.

"The frontal lobe of the brain was removed, but obviously someone removed it without expecting us to know even what the brain looked like. So they scrambled up the remnants and stuck the chain in the middle, giving it some weight and keeping the chain well padded."

"So you were digging through brain gook?"

"Well blended up brain parts, yes." Severus blinked as though that was the silliest question he'd heard all day. "But that's not important, Lucius. The way they must have done it is rather incredible. They had to shrink the brain down, remove it through one of the eye cavities. Then they pulled off what they wanted, scrambled up the rest with the chain inside, and then returned them to the skull. It's rather ingenious!" he grabbed hold of Mr. Barnabus' nose and pulled his head forward so he could cast light into the skull again. "And the most incredible part is that there appears to be tissue damage and bleeding, so they were alive when they did it! Can you imagine the kind of skill needed to perform such an act?"

Lucius was no longer paying attention to his friend, and he'd turned several shades whiter as the blood and gore within Barnabus' eye socket glinted in the light. What must that have felt like? Having your brain extracted and dissected while you were still alive? And after you'd seen your only two children torn apart? Did Andy have to watch his wife go first, or did she have to watch him? He was wandering toward the staircase, leaning heavily on the railing. The room was tilting ever so slightly and despite the bubble-head charm Lucius felt as though he could smell the death, the decay, the bodies. He had to get fresh air or he'd make even more of a mess of this place.

"Lucius?" Severus poked his head around the staircase, his hair clinging around his pale skin. Lucius heard his footsteps moving up the staircase behind him, and felt his grip on his arm. When Severus saw him, his eyes turned to understanding. Nodding, he put an arm around Lucius' shoulders as they both went up for air.

#

Only after the wall was closed back again did Lucius feel free to take off the bubble head charm. He took a deep breath of the night air. It was humid, but even in the summer time it had a tinge of chill to it. It wasn't like the nights around the Mediterranean where the evenings were both humid and hot, where the warmth would linger long past the sun setting. Breathing in the darkness there only increased your pulse and forced a thin layer of sweat over the body. No, the British Isles were far north of that, a far colder place than the comforting climates Lucius had grown up in. The cooler air though was a respite from the atrocities that lay in the rooms beneath their feet.

Lucius felt a hand on his shoulder and his eyes snapped open. Severus still had his mask down and was staring at him with concern. He could practically feel his calculating mediwizard mind scanning over him to verify he was indeed well. "Do you want me to get you something to drink?" His voice had a twinge of concern in it, a drop of pity, and Lucius narrowed his eyes at it. He pushed Severus' arm away and pushed off the wall he was leaning against.

"No, I'm perfectly fine, thank you." Lucius folded his arms, and nearly tripped over a chair leg that was sprawled out beside him. He'd been so busy trying to look fine, he very nearly wasn't.

Severus grabbed his elbow, and helped to steady him. He didn't look quite so concerned this time, but still wore an impudent smirk. Lucius still felt as though he was quite pale and was keenly aware of how the moonlight did not flatter him. The glow of a blue sky and brilliant sun seemed to made him not only feel healthier, but very nearly glow when he was in direct sun all day. But at night it seemed to sap his warmth from his body. It made him prone to bouts of unease. Likely it was the half veela in him, and like the muggle Superman when he was bereft of the healing powers of the sun, Lucius was rendered distraught. Severus reached into a pocket in his robes, retrieving a tiny white box. He pulled a cigarette out with his lips, and offered one to Lucius.

He shook his head at first, but when Severus lit his own cigarette and the firelight flared against his skin for just a moment, he was forced to change his mind. Whether he liked it or not, the warmth would help to soothe him – mentally and physically.

Lucius took a long draught on it before expelling, languishing in the renewed warmth it gave his insides. Amazing that such a simple device could make you so very relaxed. Severus scurgified a nearby couch and took a seat, indicating Lucius to join him.

He smiled, taking a seat and crossing his legs. "Thank you. You know, I haven't smoked in ages. It reminds me... my father used to smoke pipes all the time. Did you know that?"

#

Severus shook his head. He wasn't quite sure what Lucius was getting at, but he was beginning to get color back in his face again, which was what he needed. Whether Lucius knew it or not, heat was a necessity of life for him. And at times Severus had to keep an eye out for him. The man would get so wrapped up in his own foolishness that he'd completely forget basic necessities.

He took a puff on his own cigarette, enjoying the feel of the smoke enter and leave his lungs before he posed his own inquiry. "Are you feeling better?"

Lucius nodded, he'd already smoked down half of his already. He'd been colder than Severus would like. "Yes, I just... I don't know what came over me down there." He dragged a hand through his white-blond hair as a man fully aware of how attractive it made him. Lucius was always so damn comfortable in his skin, it put Severus on edge. He always felt a tad nervous when he was around his friend. Lucius had ways to coerce people that far surpassed any imperious curse. Lucius turned his steel-gray eyes toward him again. "Severus, do you know what I thought of when you were spying in that man's head down there? What I realized?"

Here it comes, Severus thought. Now he's going to break down and start sobbing in front of him. He'd never seen Lucius lose control like this before. Not emotionally and certainly not under stress. "Not a clue, Lucius."

"I realized that I felt _bad_ for Barnabus. I felt bad for him, his wife, and his... his children." He took another puff on his cigarette, his lean, pointed fingers shaking even as they clutched the butt. He could have been a musician in another life, another world. One devoid of wizarding wars and where a man as sophisticated as Lucius might soar without the Dark Lord pinning him to the ground. "Severus, Narcissa is expecting soon and... she and I have had such trouble just with the conception. I don't know if I'd be able to stand watching the two of them torn apart in front of me. I don't know if I could handle there being any complications with the birth."

"Hm," Severus flicked a long straw of ash onto the ground. "That's the sort of thing that comes with having family, Lucius. Or so I'm told, I've not been so unlucky to be chained to someone." He turned his face away to hide his smirk, not that it mattered.

Lucius turned simply livid, "Come now, I'm being serious here! This is a very pressing matter to me, and I'd appreciate it if you'd give me your full attention instead of descending into insults." He flicked his own ash on Severus' robe.

"Hey!" Severus leaped up, swiping down the embers and ash before they caught. "Alright, fine. You want to know what I think? I think the two of you should have expected problems. As much as I respect Narcissa, and like her as a friend-"

"Now I don't think that's -"

But Severus held a finger up before him, as though Lucius was a first year speaking to his superior. "Hush. Now listen to me. Narcissa is a Black. She comes from a family that hasn't had just a few cases of incest over the years, she comes from a whole freaking line of it. Her family is not exactly the sanest bunch around, I mean just look at how Sirius Black turned out! And don't forget that those two were _cousins_, mind you."

"Yes, but-"

Severus started pacing, back and forth with his arms crossed in front of him as though he thought he was some sort of holy man. "Now when I gave you the tonic to help you two with conception, I recall vividly that I warned you two that the birth might be difficult. There might be complications. When you force the body to conceive like that, there's no telling really how the childbirth will go. I mean, I've told you both this over and over, and just like normal you simply don't listen to me!"

Lucius stood up, balancing his cigarette with his fingers like he would normally balance a martini glass. "Well then I'd say you're certainly the best person on this subject, considering our scenario, don't you think?"

Severus beamed, "Why yes, I am quite a proficient potions master, Lucius. I don't know why you're bringing that up though..."

"And you would of course recognize any sort of complications that might arise from such a unique potion, wouldn't you?"

"Of course I would! It's my own bloody creation, isn't it?"

"Well then, it's settled! You'll just have to be the wizard who will deliver my son!"

Severus' eyes went wide, his shoulders slumped as though he was in school again and he was just told the Marauders were coming around the corner looking for him. "But Lucius! I can't do that!"

"Sure you can! Aren't you the one trying to become the head of St. Mungo's surgery section?"

"Well yes but-"

"Then delivering a child should be no sweat at all for you! It'll be far easier than any of that _brain surgery_ you keep telling me about. A child is a far more natural thing to handle than brain surgery, I'm sure."

"Lucius you're mad! Narcissa doesn't need me - she needs a mediwitch who's been professionally trained in childbirth."

"Oh yes, as though you've never studied it yourself? You told me you had to in order to create the potion to begin with."

Severus's hands were balled at his sides now, his teeth grit in anger. "Yes Lucius, I made a _potion_. I've never delivered a child! Not to mention the only heir to the Malfoy and Black fortune. I don't want that kind of pressure!"

"Severus..." Lucius flicked his cigarette aside, and came up behind Severus, placing two hands on his shoulders. "What do you think would happen if they noticed the child was having strange side effects from a potion?" Lucius laid a light kiss on the back of Severus' head.

"They'd... they'd think Narcissa had been drinking potions to keep healthy?"

He laid another kiss on the side of his neck, "No, Severus. Try again."

Severus' face was red now, his body shuddering under Lucius' fingertips. "They would... think you two had been working with dark magic? And Narcissa was trying to hide it?"

"Possibly." Lucius had slipped his fingers around the nape of Severus' neck, turning him so he could lean in as though ready to kiss him square on the lips. Then he paused, pulled back and smirked. "Or they might wonder about whether or not we'd used a conception charm. And the next thing I hear in the papers is that the Malfoy family is somehow having..." His eye twitched ever so slightly, "fertilization issues."

Severus' face was flushed, and as Lucius tried to pull his hand back from Severus' neck, he put a hand up to prevent him. "No, don't tease me, Lucius."

He grinned, "Then you'll help deliver our child then?" He planted a swift kiss on Severus' open, eager lips. Severus leaned into it, letting out a short gruff of reproach as Lucius pulled back again. "You'll be there to make sure nothing goes wrong with your Godson?"

Severus grinned, reaching a hand around to squeeze Lucius' butt. "Godson? What on earth are you talking about?"

Lucius smiled, "Narcissa and I decided you're to be his Godfather, Severus. Aren't you glad?"

Severus looked up, blinking as realization began dawning on him. "God dammit, Lucius, let go of me! You can't just lure me around with your... your charms." He was trying desperately to calm himself, and to use his robes to hide his excitement at the same time. "I'll help with delivering the boy, but I can't be his Godfather."

"Why on Earth not?"

"Because a _God_father is something chaste, and religious. I know this is something you don't fully understand, Lucius. But it is a sacred status. And I don't know if I'll be able to look at the kid much anyway considering I've seen the both of his parents in bed before. That's simply... that's gross."

"Oh come now," Lucius pulled his hair back with a ribbon. "Gross is a bit of a strong word, don't you think? Who better to keep an eye on my son than you? A fully qualified mediwizard and quite the worker of Dark Arts as well! And besides, how am I supposed to explain that to Narcissa? That you wouldn't be his Godfather because you thought it was _gross_. She's not going to take that well, not at all!"

Severus sighed. Lucius did have a point, though he'd much prefer if he just came out and spoke about it instead of pulling his body and emotions this way and that in an endless tug-of-war. Going against Lucius' wishes was never an option, even when Severus had the best intentions. "Fine, I'll do it. But I'll do it for Narcissa, _not_ for you!"

He turned to head to the doorway to continue their investigation. From behind him, Lucius cleared his throat. When Severus turned around, Lucius was walking toward him with all the silkiness and determination of a panther stalking its prey. He was smiling at him, and then his eyes darted down to Severus' crotch. "You're not planning on working on bodies with that thing, are you?"

Severus blushed, backing up against the wall again. "The thought had occurred to me."

Lucius squatted down to lift up Severus' robes, and grabbed hold of him. Severus couldn't prevent the gasp of pleasure that came out of him. Damn Lucius and his sneaky, veela ways. It looked like the bodies were going to have to wait a bit longer regardless.

#

After a short delay, Severus was able to pull not one, but two chains from the bodies of Mr. And Mrs. Barnabus. Each of them had been dropped down into their empty eye sockets like coins into wishing wells. And that wasn't the only piece to the puzzle.

"Lucius, you need to see this."

That was one thing Lucius loved about Severus. Even after getting sexually ravished amid the remains of a decrepit house, and looking beautifully disheveled, the man still had the ability to pull himself together for the task at hand. It was remarkable really, if not a bit annoying. Lucius made his way down the steps, finishing a quick round of charms to clean his mouth. "What did you find?"

"Barnabus was a Death Eater, wasn't he?"

Lucius raised an eyebrow. "Of course he was. I was even present for his marking ceremony." He stepped carefully around the remains of the children. Severus had picked up the man's left arm, rolling up the sleeve to reveal the gray-tinged skin beneath. "Where is it?"

He took hold of the arm himself, the skin was cold. He felt a flash of disgust go through him, but he pushed it down this time. They needed to finish this examination, regardless of how his emotions wanted to intervene. "Where is his Dark Mark?" He turned the arm back and forth in his hands, as though the Mark could scurry away to a different part of the body. "Severus, what does this mean?"

His friend looked far graver than Lucius had expected. He had possibly even gone a shade paler. "It means that he was targeted... _because_ he was a Death Eater. We'll need to inform the Dark Lord. He'll need to know."

Lucius nodded, his gaze returning to the small aqua colored house elf that had fallen asleep against the wall of the kitchen. "And what about him? Should I question him?"

He shook his head, "No, I think not. He'll want to probe his mind himself. If we're lucky the creature might have seen something, or someone. Whoever did this is probably the one that gave him that curse."

"Ah, I thought that was a curse. A very odd one."

"You didn't touch him, did you?"

Lucius thought for a moment, holding up his gloved hand. "Only with this."

Severus nodded, re-affixing his mask and hood. "But no skin contact, right?"

"Of course not. In this kind of situation, you'd be a fool to-"

"Good. Don't take it personally, Lucius. If you had touched the creature I would need to know is all. I have to make sure you're well first before finishing up here."

Lucius smirked, biting his bottom lip and trailing fingers down the front of Severus' mask. "It's a bit late for being concerned, don't you think? I mean, I did have your cock down my throat."

Severus jerked back, and Lucius could practically feel the heat of the blush coming across him. "Lucius..."

"I'm only joking! Though it would have been interesting to see you examine yourself."

He ignored him though, stepping cautiously around the room toward the body parts of the children. "I'll have to come back here to take a look at the rest. But this information is more important. It can't wait. And he'll want to speak to the Elf. I'll come back afterwards to look over the rest."

Even though he'd been initiated much later, Severus was still considered closer to the Dark Lord than Lucius. It didn't quite make sense to him, especially considering that Lucius donated far greater sums of money and time. He'd recruited more members, and was quite influential in keeping the actions of the group from looking too suspicious in the eyes of the Ministry. And still, this young half-blood from St. Mungo's got more respect from their Lord than he did. Severus had mentioned before that he and the Dark Lord had something in common, whatever the hell that meant. Lucius might have caused more of a fuss about it if he didn't like the man. Severus had his weaknesses, and Lucius knew quite well how to manipulate them to his needs.

So even though Lucius was originally given the task of examining the disappearance of Andy Barnabus, since he'd had to call in assistance, Severus would ultimately be the one who would give the results to the Dark Lord. And, incidentally, he would be the one to receive most of the credit. Knowing Severus though, he would indicate that Lucius had been the first on the scene and had assisted in finding the house elf. As much as it chagrined him, Lucius knew that he would be expected to follow Severus' orders here. And to think that only a couple of years ago he'd been training this boy as a new recruit.

"I guess you have this under control then?"

"Yes, I think so. You go back home to Narcissa. I'm sure she'll need you as she... comes along."

Lucius nodded. "Alright, but if you find anything... odd, you let me know. If you think there may be trouble, don't play the hero. Not in this." He looked over at Barnabus' body: slumped in the chair, his left arm free of the bondage and flopped onto its side as though he were sleeping. If it weren't for the gaping black holes of the eye sockets, he might have been fooled. He headed up the stairs as Severus tried to figure out the best way to handle the house elf. "Don't be a stranger, now."

He was pleased to hear the slight tinge of amusement in his friend's voice, "Don't worry, Lucius. I won't be."


	2. A Prophecy Revealed

Chapter 2: A Prophecy Revealed

It had been weeks since the incident at the Barnabus house, and Lucius had nearly put the memory of it out of his mind. He'd never imagined how much trouble went into preparing for a child, but as the time ticked by and Narcissa's belly swelled, he was quickly learning how much work went into it. He'd thought the morning sickness during the first trimester had been bad. Or the food cravings during the second. But he was learning that the third trimester had its own array of problems to worry about. Narcissa would need her feet rubbed frequently, she would suffer from aches and pains, and often found it difficult to sleep through the night with worries about the manor flitting through her mind. On top of all that, Narcissa was becoming horny all the time, and while Lucius did the best he could to satisfy her without actually having typical sex, he felt more and more ostracized in their relationship. It was strange, to feel that his unborn child was tearing his wife away from him, but that's precisely what he felt.

Lucius never was very good at sleeping through the night. Ever since he'd joined the Death Eaters, his dreams would be plagued with nightmares about the various atrocities he'd witnessed and performed. He was finding it more difficult to make it to the Ministry, especially since he was having to make time for the Dark Lord's meetings. He hadn't prepared himself for the stresses of being a father, a politician, and a Death Eater, but somehow he was managing to juggle the three without collapsing all together.

It was around two in the morning one night. Narcissa had been in bed since finally falling to sleep around eleven. Lucius had only slept for a couple of hours before he'd been awoken by his nightmares. He wished he'd gotten more of the Dreamless Sleep potion Severus had made for him last year. He hadn't anticipated needing so much of it.

Instead he wrapped himself in a sleek, black robe and made his way downstairs. He poured himself a tall glass of his finest merlot from last century. He settled into his plush leather armchair and flicked his wand, turning the hearth into a roaring fire. The heat felt good against his skin, and the wine warmed his insides. Nightmares always made him so very cold, as though even his bones were rattled.

He must have dozed off halfway through the glass, because when he next opened his eyes Severus was stepping through his fireplace, his voice pulling him from his slumber. "Lucius, wake up damn it!"

Lucius shuddered, nearly knocking the rest of his wine to the floor. "Severus. What's going on? You could have warned me you were -"

In a single, fluid motion - at least to Lucius' wine-addled eyes - Severus collapsed in a heap of black cloth at his feet, taking his hand as though he were about to begin confessing at the feet of a Father of a Church. "Oh God, Lucius - he's going to kill her! He's going to kill her, and I'm the one who told him. It's all my fault! Lucius, oh God, what have I done?"

It took a moment for Lucius to fully come to his senses and realize what was going on. He'd seen Severus in bad situations before, hell he'd even seen him when he'd lived at that horrid little house near the mill, but he'd _never_ seen him this bad. Something was horribly wrong, and it put a hollow icy ache in the pit of his stomach. Reluctantly he put out the fire, and with another flick of his wand lit the candles about the room. If Severus had found it so easy to waltz into his living room, Lucius didn't want anyone else on the other side to see. Not when he was this bad, not like this. While he was at it, he put a silencing charm around the room and a couple of wards too.

Then he settled back against the leather chair again, feeling only mildly more at ease. "Severus, calm down. I can't help you if I don't know what the hell you're talking about. You have to speak to me."

Severus sat up on his knees suddenly, his eyes red from tears and his face flush with fear and sadness. "I heard it, Lucius. I heard the Prophecy and I told him about it. I told him everything. And I didn't even think about it. I didn't even think for a second what it would mean, or who it would mean. I'm so sorry, Lucius. I'm so bloody sorry."

Sorry? Sorry for what? Lucius felt his own heartbeat quicken with worry. Had Severus done something to compromise him? Who had he spoken to? He grabbed the glass of wine and shoved it toward him, "Drink, my friend. Drink and explain."

Severus took a long gulp of the potent wine, and sat back for a moment, wincing as the potency hit him. And then he explained: the Prophecy, the Dark Lord, everything.

#

"And then Trelawney's eyes rolled up white in her eyes, her jaw went slack and she started shuddering all over. I thought she was about to go into a convulsion! And then she started to speak, but her voice didn't seem right. It didn't seem like her own. It seemed... harder, almost like a man's but not quite. And then she gave the Prophecy." Severus paused to down the rest of the glass of wine Lucius had given him, retelling his tale as detailed as he could remember.

_"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches ... _

_ born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies ... _

_ and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not ..."_

Lucius let out the breath he'd been holding. There was no telling how many wizarding women had children that would be born around that time. Not to mention the muggle-borns. It would be impossible to prevent all of them from being born, but that certainly wouldn't prevent the Dark Lord from trying. "Alright, so who all does that leave us with? That we know at least?"

Severus shuddered, his grief nearly tearing him apart from the inside out. "Lily."

Lucius nodded, understanding finally the horror his friend was going through. The Evans girl was the pathetic love of his life, regardless of whether or not she card for him. And in this simple act he'd practically signed her death certificate. Even though she was married to that insufferable James Potter and only invited Severus by for tea and to commiserate somehow he still found her the most wonderful creature on the planet. "You'll need to warn them. They'll need to know their lives are in danger. And you'll need to move quickly as I'm sure our Lord will be just as quick."

"And how the hell am I supposed to do that, Lucius! Hi Lily, I know you're not going to believe me, but I just found out that your child will mean the death of you in three months' time. How do you think that will look? Especially if Potter's nearby, it'll become an absolute mess!"

Lucius nodded, Severus had a point. They would never believe him if he just walked up and told them. They would suspect a trap of some sort instead of finding the protection they needed. "Then you'll have to go to someone who will believe you. Someone who will relay the message for you, and someone who will know that you're telling the truth."

Severus sniffled, "Who, Lucius?"

He poured himself another glass of wine and refilled Severus' glass. If he gave this advice, Severus very well might turn on him. Though in this state, he didn't think his friend had the energy to care about sides. Lucius never had much care for the Potters, but he couldn't stand to see Severus suffering like this. It might not do any good to tell them, it might well be the worst mistake of his life. But Severus needed honest help, not political garbage.

"Albus Dumbledore. He's a renowned legimens and would be able to tell if you were lying or not. Think about it! A wizard of that power might very well save the entire family from the Dark Lord's clutches!"

Severus eyes went wide, "But Lucius, if I go to him saying such a thing, what's to keep him from handing me over to the Aurors? What's going to prevent him from locking me in Azkaban for the rest of my days?"

Lucius downed half his glass in a single gulp, coughing afterwards. "Nothing, unless you play your cards properly." Lucius pulled over a footstool and sat across from his friend, who looked so very small in Lucius' plush leather armchair. "Listen to me. If you go to him begging for help, you'll have to offer him something in return. He'll require it. If he's anything like the Dark Lord - and I've no doubt he is - he'll expect a trade of services. You have to give him something of value for her life. For their lives. Something worthwhile."

"Oh Jesus, Lucius! What do I have that someone like Dumbledore would want? I don't have money or power, hell I don't even have any pull at St. Mungo's! I'm absolutely useless to him."

Lucius bit his lip. Severus was not always so dense, but when he was upset like this it could be difficult to get even the most basic ideas past his thick skull. Especially if the Evans girl was involved. "Offer yourself to him."

Severus stared at him for a moment, his eyes slits of distrust. "Like... sex?"

"No, no! Offer your services to him." Lucius sighed, trying to still his shaking hands. "Offer to work for him instead of the Dark Lord."

That was enough to garner his attention, and Severus sat up straighter on the edge of his seat. "Are you mad? Switch sides? The Dark Lord would kill me if I went to work with the Order!"

"Then... he must never know about it then." Lucius sipped at his drink, his calm returning to him.

"I don't know about this, Lucius. I don't like this idea at all. I could be killed, put on trial, imprisoned..."

"Then do nothing. Wait for the Dark Lord to kill them as if they were muggles. I'm sure Dumbledore has already sent letters warning them to go into hiding, but he'll do no more than that. Not unless he has a good reason to."

Severus wiped his nose on the back of his robe, such a disgusting, muggle habit. "What you're asking me to do doesn't seem very much like a Death Eater, Lucius. Tell me: how long have you been working for Dumbledore?"

"I'm _not_." Lucius growled, "I just know that Narcissa is also three months away from having our boy. And... I understand your desire to keep the Potters safe."

Lucius didn't turn to see his reaction, but he heard the gasp of breath. "Lucius, I'm so sorry, I didn't know!"

He threw a hand up to silence him, as he had done when first training him to be a Death Eater. Severus obeyed instantly. "Take care of the Potters first, and then you and I can figure out what to do for us."

"Lucius if he finds out, he'll expect you to-"

"Then he _won't_ find out then, will he?" Lucius turned to glare at him. He could feel the heat in his eyes and judging by how taken aback Severus appeared, they must have been slightly glowing. His veela bloodline had a strange way of showing itself at times. "The Potters... there's no way we can change the pregnancy for them. They likely wouldn't trust you enough to handle their child. But Severus, you yourself said you were talented with potions - I'm sure there is something we could concoct that would induce labor before the end of July. I'm sure we can force him to come earlier if we try."

"You're dreaming things up! There's no potion for such a thing, and even if there were I'd probably give it to the Lily before -"

Lucius rushed over and back-slapped Severus so hard it nearly flung him from the seat. Severus' eyes went wide as his hand lingered over the red welt forming on his pale cheek. "Severus, I love you very much like a lover. I would do anything for you, and I have risked my life for you on countless occasions." He leaned forward on the footstool to stare his friend straight in the eyes, "But don't you _ever_ put that Evans whore before your true family."

Severus nodded slowly, at a loss as to how else to react. "I'm sorry, Lucius. I don't know what came over me."

He gave a small smile, "I know. It's understandable considering the amount of stress you've been under. Now go - see Dumbledore and hurry back here once you're done. He might have you holed up there for days for interrogation, but be sure you come back here to help us."

Severus nodded, his eyes shadowed by his mused hair. "Yes, Lucius..."

Then he slinked out of the chair and back toward the floo, returning to his hovel near St. Mungo's.

Lucius took a deep breath, glancing down to the red, blotchy pattern that now covered the back of his hand. Never had he raised a hand to Severus before, and truly he hadn't intended to. But saying that he'd rather save Evans' brood before he'd help his friends was simply out of the question. Lucius didn't know what kind of pathetic love potion that woman had over his friend, but from the way she had treated him over the years, Severus certainly seemed a glutton for punishment.

Lucius sat down in his chair again, sipping again at his wine, his mind revolving around the events of their discussion. Truly he had no guarantee Dumbledore would let his friend live, or whether Severus might not be taken straight to Azkaban. But in all honesty, Severus had a much better chance of getting sympathy from the Head of Hogwarts then he did from the Dark Lord. Lucius wasn't sure if he'd ever see his friend again but, as his hands began to shake, he only hoped he'd given him the best advice possible. Dumbledore was the only man that could offer him help now, whatever help that might be.

He had other, more pressing matters to attend to. Severus had chosen his direction, and Lucius had to figure out what to do with his own family. They were fortunate, really. Narcissa was hardly showing even this far into the pregnancy, and they'd kept the knowledge a secret from even their best friends for fear of losing the child. He downed the rest of his wine and got to his feet. The world spun around him from too much heat and alcohol, but Lucius mastered his footing regardless. He needed to find Narcissa. She needed to know, and they had to figure out what they were going to do.

#

Lucius was keenly aware of the lack of heat as he made his way back up the flight of stairs. He passed by the antique grandfather clock that had been passed down for ages through his family. It was close to 5:30 already, nearly dawn. Where had his night gone? Normally the rising sun would energize him and make him feel alive and awake, but this morning he felt haggard and old. How would Narcissa react when he told her? What would she say, and would she even believe him? He let out a shaky sigh, and ran a hand through his disheveled hair. He wiped at the dried drool on his chin and winced at his scruffiness. He wasn't as ready as he'd like to be to deliver such horrid news, but he didn't have much choice. They had an unknown time limit as it was.

He pushed the bedroom door open, grinding his teeth as the hinge squeaked. That elf Dobby was perhaps the most incompetent creature he'd ever owned. He'd have to take his anger out on it later. The room was flooded with the dim blues of dawn, and Narcissa looked like she'd barely moved since he'd departed her bedside late that night. He draped his robe on the chair of his writing desk, and slunk into bed beside her. Even though he'd been drinking and had spent most of his evening next to a fireplace, he still felt freezing compared to her warm body, and he nuzzled up beside her. He draped an arm around her belly, rubbing it gently in her sleep. She winced at his chilled body, but didn't seem to fully wake. Instead she wrapped her legs around his freezing feet and fell back to sleep.

Lucius smiled despite the weariness in his heart. He wished he could just let this moment last forever. He wished he never had to tell her what he knew, and he wished that their lives weren't such a complex fight for survival.

"Narcissa, love. Wake up."

She moaned in her sleep, her eyebrows furrowing as though she were arguing in silence.

"Come on now, dear. I have something important to tell you."

Her eyes flitted open slowly, dim blue agate with flecks of brown. He tried to smile at her, but his eyes were already filling with tears.

"Lucius," her voice was soft, but concern was seeping through as she left her dreams. "Lucius, what's wrong?"

He stopped rubbing his hand against her belly, and pursed his lips together. "I spoke with Severus. He... heard something that he shouldn't have. And he told the Dark Lord."

Narcissa tensed under his hands at the very mention of Voldemort. Her eyes snapping open to full consciousness. "What's happened? Is someone dead?"

"No, no one's dead, love. But we need to figure out what to do. A prophecy was made... about someone born to vanquish the Dark Lord. And he'll stop at nothing to make sure that child is destroyed."

Narcissa sat up, her blonde curls a splay around her face. "Oh God, Lucius. Not ours..."

"Possibly. The prophecy predicted that the child would be born around the end of July. The parents are said to have defied the Dark Lord three times."

As soon as he mentioned the birth date, she put a balled hand to her lips and her eyes welled up. Lucius knew what thoughts must be flitting through her mind, likely the same as his. She swallowed hard, gripping his arm that was still clutching her belly. "No, that's not fair. We've tried too hard to have him! We can't lose him, not like this!"

Lucius sighed, forcing his throat to relax and his body not to shudder. He wanted to weep with her, to hold her body to his and melt into the despair. But Narcissa's fear and shock quickly melted to rage.

"You said Severus told you. You said he heard. Why did he tell this to the Dark Lord? Why would he do this to us!"

"Calm down, dear. He didn't have much of a choice. If he found out Severus had kept such a thing secret, he'd have killed him instantly! Besides, you aren't the only mother expecting that month."

She looked up to him, her face flushed with grief and rage. "Who else? Who is expecting?"

"I'm not sure who all is involved with this. But really it could be wizards or muggle families, love. The parents are not necessarily wizards and witches."

"Oh Lucius," she placed a hand to her forehead. "It would have to be. If they had defied him three times, then they couldn't be muggles!"

He went silent. He hadn't considered that, though now that she mentioned it that seemed a rather obvious conclusion. Narcissa was always such the better strategist than he was. He would get wrapped up in the overall plot and the overall plan, but she would separate the conjecture from reality. She kept him grounded.

"The Potters. James and Lily are the foremost ones Severus was concerned with."

Narcissa fell back against the headboard, her eyes searching the ceiling. "Of course. Lily Evans, of course she'd be expecting at the same time. And I'm sure Severus ran to her aid, didn't he? Leaving us here to fend for ourselves, the hopeless fool."

"He loves the girl still. You can't fault him that." Lucius wasn't sure why he was defending his friend, but he felt wrong allowing her to speak ill of him when he wasn't even there.

"Still Lucius, he knows better, or at least he _should_ know better. That woman's been trouble for him ever since they met! And now it looks like she'll be trouble to the end of their days." She wiped a tear away, "Didn't you tell me he agreed to be our child's godfather?"

Lucius nodded, feeling more like the fool here than the messenger.

She laughed, sniffling to herself. "Well that's lovely. Some godfather he is! At the first sign of trouble he runs off to the whore that spurns him!"

"Narcissa!"

She wiped at her eyes again, "...I'm sorry, Lucius. I guess I'm just a bit... upset."

He situated himself next to her and put an arm around her. She leaned her head against his shoulder and he could feel the warm tears sliding down his skin. "I know you don't want to think about this dear, but we need to figure out what we're going to do. I think we've both decided that informing the Dark Lord about this is out of the question."

She managed a laugh, her voice thick from tears. "Obviously."

"I'm thinking that we'll need to find a way to make you prematurely go into labor. A month or so early so that no one suspects."

"Yes, that sounds like a good idea, Lucius. But I've never heard of such a thing before. And I don't know if that will be good for the child either..."

He sighed, "Well, I think the only other option will be to pretend that you had the boy early."

"Early? But Lucius how in the world could I fake that? Perhaps if I was a metamorphmagus, that would be a cinch!"

"Now listen to me. The papers, the documents, the official records - that wouldn't be any trouble and you know it. We've tampered with plenty of documents like that in the past without too much difficulty. I don't think this would be any different."

She laughed, bitter this time as she pushed herself up to stare at him directly. "You're forgetting one thing though, Lucius. I'll still be with child! Anyone who sees me will know instantly that I'm pregnant, and quite far along as well!"

"We keep you in hiding, we keep you inside until he's actually born. But we get someone to polyjuice as you, and then I can charm up some bundle of cloth for the baby. No one will know the better!"

A smile was forming on Narcissa's face, a devious smile that Lucius had come to equate with her various schemes and wicked plotting. "Lucius, you are perhaps the most beautiful man I've ever laid eyes on."

He grinned, "Why thank you, dear."

"But... who are we going to get to polyjuice as me? Who can we let know about this?"

They grew silent. It was certainly a dangerous situation, one that would not be entrusted to anyone else within the Death Eater group. Then they realized in the same moment who would be the perfect choice, and blurted it out in unison:

"Severus!"


	3. Spoiled Little Housewife

Posting this a bit earlier than normal - I'm not sure if I'll be able to get to a computer tonight. Oh and reviews, comments, & random thoughts are always very welcome and appreciated! :D

Chapter 3: Spoiled Little Housewife

As excited as they both had been at the prospect of Severus assisting them with their farce, Lucius had immediately pointed out that they might have to choose someone else. Severus had thrown himself upon the whims of Albus Dumbledore, who was perhaps the most fickle of powerful wizards. They might never see the man again alive, and if they did it might only be in the dismal dungeons of Azkaban. The more time that went by, the closer July came and the more Lucius felt wrong about the way he had dismissed his friend. He should have been more understanding perhaps, more caring. If he ever planned to be a father, sympathy was a trait he would have to adopt sooner or later. And the more he worked on creating the fake child stand-in, the less he realized he knew about infants in general.

Lucius' first attempts to create a lifelike child were disastrous. At first the baby wouldn't cry, even when he pulled Dobby's ears to get him to yell. On his second charm, once the baby started crying, he simply wouldn't stop. Eventually he'd ordered Dobby to dispose of the failed experiment in a dumpster in the city. Yes, it would likely attract attention from Muggles when they first heard the cries, but he was certain they'd chalk it up to a faulty toy and not the pleading of a real baby. On his third charm, the baby's actions were finally believable if not entirely controllable. Really though, what baby didn't have a bit of chaos built in? The body of the child was made from a toy doll, wrapped up in cloth so tight that the doll itself was entirely obscured. After a bit more tweaking, the child had charms to cry on command, to babble, even to emit horrid odors. However, the true test would be to see if someone not affiliated with the family plot were fooled by the creation. And herein was a major issue: where were they going to find someone trustworthy enough who they wouldn't have to kill if they discovered the ruse?

He draped the doll in extra cloth, just for good measure, and cradled it in the crook of his arm. It certainly had the weight of a baby with all the charms he had given it. Now he just had see what Narcissa thought. She was the true test for his latest quirky experiment. He pulled back the rolling door to his study and made his way downstairs. Narcissa was lounging along the couch reading through the latest Daily Prophet. She had a cup of tea steeping nearby - chamomile by the smell - and orange beams of sunlight were tearing their way across the verdant front lawn. His albino peacocks were cawing a farewell to the day across the pond. It was the perfect picture of serenity, especially since she was wearing one of her lounging gowns. A fake baby might be just the perfect addition!

"Narcissa, look what I have for you dear!"

He saw her arched eyebrow before her eyes slid over the top edge of the paper. The cover was resplendent with the images "Mad-Eye" Moody smiling into the camera for his latest commendation, his wild eye darting to and fro as though it could spy him even from within the black and white pages. Then she folded the paper shut, her curiosity melting into confusion. "Lucius, what is that thing?"

"Why it's our son, Love! Don't you recognize him?" He flicked a finger almost invisibly and shrill cries emanated from the bundle. Her eyes went wide with surprise, and then her lips turned up into a devious grin.

"How clever! My goodness Lucius, for a moment I thought - well I thought you'd lost your mind, to be honest! Stealing a child away just for our troubles."

"You want to hold him?" He loved it when he could impress her so. She took the baby into her arms, and the wonder that filled her face made it look all the more realistic.

"Goodness, he's heavier than I thought."

"Well we can't have a scrawny child now, can we?"

He sat down beside her, leaning a hand over her shoulders and giving her a squeeze. "Not too bad, is it?"

"Oh Lucius, it's wonderful!"

The flames from the hearth bloomed up suddenly in green sparks, and Lucius felt a pit fall in his stomach. Oh Merlin, this was it. This would be one of the Death Eaters come to make an impromptu house call upon them, and the worst possible time! Both of them froze, their eyes wide as a dark shape stepped through the fire, the green light glinting off their face and hair. And Lucius gasped as he realized it was Severus. He went forward to greet him, momentarily speechless at the sight of his friend again. He thought for certain he had sent him to his doom, to be punished by Dumbledore and his vicious Order. And yet here he stood, and he wasn't even missing a single limb!

"Severus..." As he came closer to him and the firelight dimmed back, he could see the weariness that his friend carried. His eyes were more sunken in than they had been only little more than a month before, and he had gained frown marks at the corners of his lips. His entire countenance seemed changed, Lucius realized. His shoulders were slumped, not the rigid board that he'd always seen from his friend, and his eyes seemed dark. Darker than normal since they were rimmed with red: the eyes of a man whose body and soul had been strained farther than he could endure.

Severus gave the two of them a nod in greeting, and then his gaze fell on the wailing bundle of cloth in Narcissa's arms. "What exactly have the two of you done while I've been away?" He gave an accusatory glare first at Lucius, and then at Narcissa. He stalked over to examine the boy, but paused when he saw Narcissa's still swollen belly. "Wait a minute, what kind of game are you pulling here?"

Lucius smiled, putting aside his emotion for the moment. "I see," his voice cracked, but he cleared his throat to cover it. "I see you've found our little gag. Quite the head-turner, isn't he?" Severus was pulling the cloth back from the screaming infant, intent on finding what was inside. "He's not as lovely as our boy will be, but he has his own charm, I suppose."

When Severus reached the plastic face of the doll, his posture relaxed, and he met Narcissa's snide grin with an indignant scowl. "It's rather sloppy, Lucius. Especially for you. There's no heartbeat, no pulse. For Christ's sake, the body's not even warm! Unless you want to tell them all he was stillborn..."

Lucius was laughing even as he turned Severus around, and into an embrace. Narcissa was chuckling too under her breath, and Lucius buried his head into Severus' languid hair. "I am so glad you're alright. Do you have any idea how worried I-" When he pulled back, he saw the tears brimming over. "Oh Severus, I'm sure this was absolutely terrible for you."

"Lucius I -" Severus paused, unable to push the words out any further, then leaned forward to pull Lucius into a full-blown kiss. Lucius could hear Narcissa's laughter stop abruptly, but he was more intent on the eagerness with which Severus was tonguing him. He had gripped his arms against his sides and Lucius was honestly a bit short of breath for the embrace. He couldn't resist answering Severus' eagerness with his own, and somehow his fingers ended up tangled in his black, mess of hair. Moments passed, but it felt like minutes to the two of them. Only when Narcissa chimed in could they find the ability to disentangle themselves.

"Alright, boys. That's enough now."

Lucius was worried she'd be upset, but the twinkle in her eye and her curved lips told him otherwise. Severus was flushed, and he couldn't tell if it was out of embarrassment or excitement. He was hoping it was the latter.

"Sorry," Severus grumbled, giving a sidelong glance to Narcissa. But she was shaking her head slowly, her eyes transfixed on the two of them.

"I just wish you two would warn me if you decide to do that again. I might need something a little cooler than tea."

#

Once Severus was able to get past the embarrassment of making out with Lucius in front of his wife, they were all able to concentrate more on the problem at hand. Namely how to fool everyone into thinking Narcissa had already had the child, and without Narcissa being seen. And unsurprisingly, Severus wasn't very keen on the idea of polyjuicing as Lucius' wife.

"Couldn't we just say she came down with a horrible sickness or something? I mean, I'm sure that happens all the time."

"But my mother will worry if I'm ill afterwards. She'll want to know I'm alright." Narcissa sighed, sipping at her tea. "Otherwise she might send her own mediwitches up here to make their own prognosis. And that will completely ruin our plans."

"Not to mention the child. I mean, if we go with the idea that he's more sensitive to light, then that will hopefully be understood. We're pushing it too far by asking them to believe that Narcissa _and_ the boy are ill. They'll suspect something."

Severus had been pacing back and forth across the room, his hands folded behind his back, and the thick fabric of his cloak sweeping behind him. Lucius was certain he would tear a hole in the antique carpet eventually especially since he favored that particular section for his agitated pacing. It was unnerving. Then for no apparent reason, he came to a complete stop as though he spotted a spider web he was about to step into. "Wait a minute. You're referring to him as 'the child' all the time."

Lucius blinked, "Yes, of course we are. That's what it is!"

Severus put his hands out, "I understand that. But doesn't he have a name?"

He paused for a moment. Severus was giving him that are-you-kidding-me expression, and Lucius could only shrug. "Narcissa dear, you're the one who wanted to wait..."

"Well the truth is, Severus, we simply couldn't decide!" She was twisting a bit of her blond hair back and forth in her fingers, an old nervous habit she used to practice when called upon unexpectedly in class. As much as he knew she abhorred the embarrassment, he couldn't help but find the act adorable.

Severus slapped a hand melodramatically to his forehead, "Are you serious? No, really, I want to know if you're joking or not with me, Narcissa. You want me to help you save your child's life - no, to save your family's life! You want me to polyjuice as you and pretend being you while in front of a group of my friends and peers, but you don't want to have to commit yourself to a simple goddamn name!"

Narcissa opened her mouth as though to respond, but could think of nothing to say immediately. Lucius felt the need to come to her aid. Call it his badly timed chivalrous nature.

"Well why can't we wait? I mean, it's kind of an important decision. Not to mention difficult."

Severus looked at him as though he thought he was a lunatic from the depths of St. Mungo's. "Am I the only logical person here? Look, if you're not calling this doll that's supposed to be your _son_ by his real name, that's going to instantly nullify any other tricks we might have here. I may as well just walk up and toss it at the Dark Lord for fun! - Catch, My Lord!"

Lucius snorted, trying so very desperately not to laugh out loud at the image. This was indeed a very sensitive issue for his wife, and although the logistics of it had occurred to him, somehow it seemed better if it came from a third party. After all, Severus didn't have to share a bed with his lovely wife every night. And a Black's anger was never to be purposefully riled. Their tempers were renowned.

Narcissa simply rolled her eyes, and Lucius found himself breathing a bit easier to see that she was taking this with good humor. "Well, it's been a Black family tradition to name our children after astronomical objects. And yes Lucius, before you object, I realize I am an exception to that rule." Lucius smirked, but allowed her to continue. "However I'd really like to continue that tradition with our son, and Lucius is always so unhelpful..."

He shrugged, "I offered the name Peacock, but she refuses to consider it." He tried to smile down Narcissa's glare, but ended up failing. "Well, as long as the boy doesn't get something horrible, I think Narcissa's the better judge."

"Well Severus, maybe you'll weigh in then for me!"

"Uh, what?"

"I'm trying to decide between Altair, Polaris, Rigel, or Draconis?"

Severus grimaced, realizing more completely why Lucius was being so indecisive. "Um... right now?"

"Well we have to make a decision! As you so adequately stated." She smirked.

"Well... I guess... Polaris?"

Lucius dragged a hand through his hair. "That sounds ridiculous. It makes the boy sound foreign, as though he's neither from England _nor_ France. Please either Altair or Draconis. Choose one, dear."

Narcissa matched his steady gaze with her own. "Draconis then."

Severus let out a hefty sigh. If it was this difficult for them to come to an agreement on a simple name, he had no hope that this scheme was ever going to work.

#

Severus was not liking this. Not one bit. He was wondering if it was indeed a good idea to hold out on taking the polyjuice potion until it was truly needed. Honestly he was holding off because the taste of it always made him want to vomit, but looking at himself in this ugly blue dress only made him feel more ill. Lucius had been more than willing to resize it to his form, even going so far as to adjust the sleeves so that they draped from his shoulders. It was supposed to be attractive, but on his skinny body it looked baglike. Truly this dress required a more buxom chest to fill it out properly, a feature with which he was definitely unequipped.

"I still don't understand why this is necessary..." he could feel his eye twitching the longer he stared into the mirror, and resisted when Narcissa took him by the arm.

"Because despite what you tell me, Severus, a robe is not the same as a dress. You move differently in it, you sit differently in it, and..."

"He sure as hell looks different in it!" Lucius proclaimed, his amusement hardly hidden. "Severus, it brings out your eyes so wonderfully!"

He turned to glare at his haughty friend, but didn't expect the dress to spin around and billow out around him. It felt weird, as though such a subtle movement was suddenly far more dramatic. Lucius was chuckling to himself as Narcissa pushed him down into the chair beside her vanity.

He'd never been into their shared bedroom before, and it was far tamer than he would have ever imagined. The bed was pure white with lace eyelets on the coverlet, with a matching white lace canopy above. Across the foot was an emerald green throw that matched the large pillows at the head. The windows overlooked a more lush part of the property, and apparently where many of their albino peacocks nested. He could see three of them moving amid the underbrush even now. On opposite sides of the room were Narcissa's vanity and Lucius' writing desk. The vanity was fit with silver handled brushes and mirrors that shone in the light, and he was certain he would get greasy fingerprints all over them if she asked him to use them. He slipped his hands into his lap to avoid the temptation of fiddling with them. Lucius' writing desk oozed of expense. Spending so many years in Slytherin house automatically made you an expert at determining the quality and value of things like furniture or architecture. You had to gain an eye for them. It was almost a requirement of the House. The writing desk had a red leather top and had streams of glittering metal that fell down the edges, like frozen copper waterfalls. The front of the desk had intricate designs of red and gold, and Severus was certain it must have been something from the times of French opulence. He wondered if it was something passed down in the Malfoy family, or if it had simply caught Lucius' expensive eye.

"Now, when you're sitting in a dress that's shorter, like this one, you'll want to sit a certain way. If you slouch or sit with your legs all splayed out, everyone and his brother will see up there, and I'll not have you embarrassing me like that."

Severus smirked. Honestly he hadn't smiled in over a month since he first heard the Prophecy, hidden in the doorway as a treacherous eavesdropper. But somehow every time he came by to visit the Malfoys, they always found a way to force him into it. It never really worked when it was just one of them, but together it was almost a certainty. It was a relief to be worrying about something as silly as whether Rodolphus would be able to see his polyjuiced crotch. Yes it was a very serious situation they were in, but still. Compared to what he had dwelling on his mind day in and day out, such silliness was a respite.

"Oh come now, Narcissa. Surely you don't have anything they haven't seen before." Severus splayed his legs out on either side of the chair, loving the look of desire on Lucius' face as he looked him up and down. But she wouldn't have any of it.

She slapped him on the leg, and forced his knees together.

"Ack! Easy now, I'm not a woman yet."

She arched an eyebrow at him. "There. That's far more proper. And what is wrong with those shoulders? Can't you learn to sit up straight?" She circled around him even as he shuffled in his seat to fix it. She pressed a hand to the small of his back. "Sit up straight! There we go. If you go around moping like that all over the place, they're going to think there's something wrong with me!"

"Oh he can't help it, dear. His natural state is despair. That's simply Severus."

"Well he needs to get rid of it. I never slouch."

Severus could see Lucius shake his head in amusement from the doorway. "Well I'll go ahead and get the invitations sent out. Oh how exciting! Our son's first birthday party!"

Narcissa was fixing his arm positioning, and Severus felt frozen like a doll while she was fixing every individual movement. He sure as hell hoped he could pull this off. Then Lucius popped a blond head back into the room.

"By the way, dear. When did you want his birthday to be? Officially, I mean?"

"Hmm, what month is this? June right? Oh, he'll be a Gemini! Probably a much more balanced sign than his true birth sign as a Cancer. Oh well... let's choose last Thursday, Lucius. We've been homebodies for weeks now, so that will be a believable alibi I think."

"Excellent," Lucius disappeared. Severus wasn't looking forward to this ordeal. The more excited these two got, the more he realized just how much he was going to be suffering through all this.

#

Narcissa said it was in the Black tradition to throw big, indulgent parties at the birth of a child, though at this point Severus didn't think it really mattered. The two of them had ridiculous tastes in spending money, and seemed all too willing to drop extra for whatever occasion. Even though this was only a fake birthday party for a fake child, they spared no expense to make sure it was the most flamboyant, joyful celebration they could: meaning there was a well-stocked bar, fine food, over-the-top decorations, and many invitations sent. The three had considered getting more people involved in their little ruse, but since trust was something that was difficult to verify, they ultimately decided to leave it with just them. The less people that knew, the fewer people to be tortured for the information later should something slip.

Severus unfortunately had only grown more agitated, especially as the guests kept pouring in through the entryway. Couples upon couples were streaming past him, congratulating him, encouraging him, and speculating that his recent childbirth was the cause of his sometimes splotchy memory. And since he and Lucius ended up bickering more than talking, he could tell there was gossip spreading about the group, like a nasty virus from one mouth to the next. They assumed they were fighting, they assumed Lucius was trying to be reasonable and Narcissa was simply being impossible. Even though Severus was using polyjuice, he couldn't help but feel offended by it all.

He was on his second glass of wine as the party finally seemed to be dying down. When he only slightly let down his guard that was of course when he got ambushed. He should have seen it coming, really. Bellatrix wasn't exactly the sneakiest person around, especially when she wanted to tackle her sister in a big bear hug. Still Severus couldn't help but spew wine all over the place.

"Oh Cissy!" Bella cried, squeezing him so hard he worried that the fine evening gown would be torn in two. "I'm so very proud of you! A child - and a son, no less. Aren't you surprised?"

Severus took a moment to breathe before he fully comprehended what she said. "Hello, Bellatrix. Surprised, why should I be surprised?"

"Well a son! I mean," she shrugged, eying him as though he knew exactly what she was referring to. Severus scanned through his mental list of cheat notes Narcissa had given him earlier in the evening. He had no freaking clue what she was implying here. Maybe she'd had too much to drink? Or maybe he had?

Bella sighed, shaking her head in disappointment before sidling up to whisper into his ear. It was horribly distracting for Severus, having her breasts pushed up against him so close to his face like that. Jesus, he'd kissed this woman before, they'd been in a relationship for a short period of time after all.

"I'm just pleased that you all were even able to become pregnant. You know, despite his faulty bloodline and all." Her hot breath hit his ear like fire. She'd definitely been drinking, and heartily. She finally stood back, cocking her head to the side. "Cissy, you alright? You look a bit flushed."

"Yes, it's the wine." Severus soothed, putting his glass aside. He cleared his throat before continuing, silently congratulating himself on his quick recovery. "What do you mean: his faulty bloodline?"

Bella had a wicked grin come over her, much like the one he'd seen on Narcissa countless times, but far more terrifying. Where Narcissa had mirth behind her smile, Bella had something darker. Something more malevolent. "Rodolphus told me one time that Malfoys had a reputation for being... rather unsatisfying in bed. Oh they can flirt all day long, but you know: they don't have it where it _counts_."

Severus couldn't believe what he was hearing. Did Bella really have the guts to come to her nephew's birthday celebration and say that Lucius was inadequate in bed? _Lucius_?

Bella looked around for a moment, giving the guise that she was somehow trying to be subtle in her next course whisper. "So spill it, sis. Rodolphus and I have had a bet going: he still thinks it's Lucius' son, but me? I'm not so sure. It's alright, Cissy, you can tell me the truth. Whose is it really?"

Severus froze. He wanted to punch her. Square in the face and turn that smug grin into a bloody mess. But this wasn't him she was speaking to, it was her sister. About Severus' unborn godchild. He gave himself a moment to channel Narcissa, to imagine herself in his situation. To see her glaring, blue eyes and cool, defiant expression. She wouldn't be able to stand for this kind of talk any more than he could.

He snatched the glass of wine he'd set aside, and splashed it directly into her face. And what a lovely expression of shock came over her, as her mascara ran and the curls around her face went flat. Then he took a step forward, his voice a raging whisper, "Don't you ever talk about my family like that again!" And with a quick turn, he headed out of the room and towards the balcony overlooking the gardens. He could feel the eyes on him, and the sudden silence was rather oppressive, but he had a good feeling that this was precisely what Narcissa would do. She would see that by removing herself from the party, the party would no longer be able to continue. Or at least, that's what he hoped. He was all too familiar with the fact that he was not an expert in parties in general, or most any social function.

When he heard Lucius step in to break up the rest of onlookers, he let out a sigh of relief. He did not make a show of it, but moved with a calm demeanor from family to couple, informing them that the hour was quite late and that both mother and child needed to be getting their rest. Severus was weary but so very grateful. This had been the most unnerving few hours of his life, and he had no intention of dealing with it any longer than necessary. The pond was dark now, an inky black well that reflected back the various lit windows of Malfoy Manor. He tried to see if he could spy any of the albino peacocks, but the darkness was so thick it was difficult to tell. The crickets were humming and as Severus glanced around he realized that he was actually quite exposed here. He was the only person on the balcony after all, and with so much empty blackness around him anyone could be hiding. But why was he suddenly feeling paranoid? He hadn't felt this way all evening.

#

A cool wind swept over the pond and rustled the trees, and Severus grasped his arms, disturbed to realize yet again that they weren't his own. They were far smoother than his arms, and yet Narcissa seemed to have more upper body strength than he did, judging by the feel.

He turned to head back inside, holding his thin sheer scarf to his throat to keep from losing it in the wind, and then a voice made him nearly jump out of his skin.

"You look as lovely as ever, Narcissa."

He would probably always recognize that voice, as frequently as he had nightmares about it. He spun to face the direction it came from, and tried to calm himself when he spotted the red orbs. "My Lord," he dipped into a curtsy as Voldemort stepped out of the shadows.

Since the last time he'd seen him, over a month ago, Voldemort had grown more inhuman in appearance. He still had hair, and his skin was still the same color, but if his red eyes weren't unsettling enough, his voice was downright nerve rattling. He was dressed in a fine black fur that shined in the candlelight from inside - fox fur, from the look of it. He still tried to give the appearance of being human and was even attempting a smile. Although Severus was surprised, he didn't forget his training. He had been staying with Dumbledore for over a month after all, and once he had divulged all the information he could to the man, they had begun his occlumency training. Needless to say, it was a horrendous experience, but he had to learn it just in case a situation like this came up. Just in case the Dark Lord caught him off guard. For the first time in weeks, Severus was grateful he'd taken his problem to Dumbledore. At least he had some kind of protection now. Nothing to stave off a Killing Curse of course, but he no longer felt naked and vulnerable around the man like his peers.

"I wanted to come and wish you and your family congratulations in person. It is always wonderful to hear of one of our own bringing a new Death Eater into the world."

Severus bristled. The boy was supposedly born less than a week ago, and here he was assuming he would join along with his father. How glad Severus was that he had the upper hand here. Now he knew there was an alternative to the mental abuse the Dark Lord was so fond of. Then he thought of Lily. She was probably home now, sitting in front of the tele, holding her big round belly and looking forward to finally delivering her child.

He could protect her, he could prevent her from ever being in danger. He still had his wand on him after all, and here on this abandoned balcony in a nearly empty Manor he could take the Dark Lord out once and for all. Destroy him completely, and there wouldn't even be backlash. He looked like Narcissa Malfoy, not Severus Snape. It would literally be the Malfoy's word against his, and they wouldn't risk their child being the target of a backlash of Death Eater attacks. He could kill Voldemort, and then get away without ever worrying about a trip to the Ministry or Azkaban. He could feel his wand, slipped into his garter belt midway down his thigh. He could pull it out and cast a Killing Curse so fast, the man wouldn't know what hit him. He wouldn't be expecting such an action, especially not here around his very subjects.

Voldemort studied him for a moment, before putting a cool hand to his shoulder. "You know, Narcissa, I do hope that you intend the boy to join us. It would be a shame if he didn't have us around to protect him from the dangers that could befall a child that young."

Severus forced himself a small half-smile. "Of course he'll be a Death Eater, My Lord. He'll be one of the best, I'm sure." He felt Lucius' familiar, warm hands come down over his shoulders, and was surprised by the amount of relief he felt at them. After dealing with stress on this level all day, he really couldn't handle himself properly in front of the Dark Lord. Especially if he was supposed to be Narcissa. Oh God, what had Dumbledore done putting him in this position? Didn't he know that he wasn't cut out for such edgy work?

"Of course he'll be the best, My Lord," Lucius soothed. "He's a Malfoy _and_ a Black. That's two points in his favor right there." He lifted Severus' hand to kiss his fingers, and Severus had to force his limb to go limp at the motion. He was terribly tense, and he could only hope that the Dark Lord wouldn't notice.

Lucius grinned, "Have you seen Draco by the way?"

Voldemort stiffened slightly. Nearly imperceptibly, but Severus saw it. "Not yet..."

"Then by all means, come with me!" He went through the doorway with Severus' arm still in one hand, and the Dark Lord following close behind. The shadows seemed to cling to him wherever he moved, as though he were bringing them inside with him with every step.

As they were walking, Severus managed to catch Lucius' eye. He was hoping he hadn't forgotten that said Draco wasn't _really_ Draco. How exactly did he expect to show the boy to him? Make it smell like he pooped himself? "Lucius dear," Severus stressed, trying hard not to look nervous as hell. "I don't know if that's such a good idea..."

"Nonsense, he's to be a Death Eater, isn't he? Then our Lord should have a proper look at him. He's quite healthy you know."

"Really..." Was Voldemort looking a bit green?

"Yes, he was rather larger than we expected." Lucius chuckled, acting as though talking with the Dark Lord in this manner was as normal as talking about the latest Quidditch match. Normally Severus would have ignored his silly prattling, figuring it was another stupid unaccountable action Lucius would tend to do. But now that he was secretly working with Dumbledore, and had a sinking feeling that these kinds of awkward situations were only going to be more common, he watched him more closely as an apprentice watches a master make the final touches to a masterpiece. He could see the anxiety in Lucius' eyes, but he was so damned gregarious that it was difficult to catch. Only when he paused to take a breath or got a bit distracted would it be noticeable. He kept his hands in movement to get out his nervous energy and in fact kept his whole body in rather constant motion. And then the topper for the entire scene, Severus realized, was that Lucius was an incredible bluffer. He was actually willing to walk the Dark Lord himself up to a plastic doll and say it was his child. He was acting like a cocky, arrogant father with the hopes that he would be seen as such, not necessarily because he actually was. It was perhaps the most revealing piece of acting and farce Severus had ever seen, and he kept his mouth closed while Lucius went to work, wondering if perhaps he had been a used car salesman in another life.

"Please don't mind Narcissa, she's had a bit of a rough evening. All the people, and of course Bella was acting like a complete fool. She left just a few minutes ago wearing almost as much wine as she drank!" He chuckled, and Severus tried to hide his shock as Voldemort started laughing with him.

"I swear, she looked like a drowned house elf! But yes, do take her words with a grain of salt, My Lord. She's a bit stressed."

Voldemort nodded, "Yes, I've heard of female animals in the wild becoming highly possessive of their young. Crocodiles are supposedly highly possessive."

It was amusing for Severus to watch the Dark Lord try to take part in small talk. The more he attempted it, the clearer it became at how inept he was at social interaction. For perhaps the first time in his life, Severus felt like he had more social prowess than someone. He just hadn't expected that someone to be Voldemort. Then they came to the room with the actual crib. The plastic Draco was snoozing happily, and Severus was pleased to see the cloth moving up and down as a child's breathing ought to look. But the Dark Lord froze in the entryway, and didn't appear to want to come any closer. Lucius paused, turning toward him.

"Is something the matter, My Lord?"

Voldemort glanced at him, then looked back at the child, not saying a word. Severus could feel the hairs on the back of his neck rise up, and his pulse racing. What was wrong? What had he seen? Severus thought about speaking up, but considering the Dark Lord's earlier comment, perhaps it was best if he held his tongue.

"No, nothing is wrong. I just... can see him just fine from here. He looks... well."

Lucius blinked, "Are you sure you wouldn't want to-"

"No, Lucius." And the bite behind his voice made Lucius' words stumble to a halt. "I'm not particularly... fond of _children_ to be frank with you. I find them slightly revolting." His eyes glazed over momentarily as though he were off in some strange world where children were made of leeches or something. "Besides I have things to do... elsewhere. Congratulations on the boy. Oh and Lucius, I have more information on the Barnabus situation. Find out where Severus has been hiding and meet me in an hour."

Severus tensed at the mention of his name. It was strange to hear himself being spoken about in third person as though he were not in the room.

"Of course, My Lord. Good news, I hope."

Voldemort glanced to Narcissa, then back to Lucius. "Just meet me in an hour. There's work that must be done immediately."

Even the dark nursery seemed to brighten as he left, and Severus gave his friend a look that he hoped expressed just how supremely freaked out he was at the moment. Lucius nodded, but fled to assist the Dark Lord with heading out. Severus let out a shaky breath, and leaned against a marble side table. He wondered where the hell Lucius was hiding his alcohol in this maze of a house.

#

Once he was back in his own skin again (and damn it felt good!), he'd found Lucius' recliner beside the giant hearth and collapsed into it after raiding the liquor cabinet. From all the work he had put in over the evening, he figured the blonde prat could spare him some compensation. He nearly jumped out of his skin all the same when Narcissa came into the room, spilling a bit of whiskey on his newly recovered frock coat.

"Jesus..." he growled, looking around for some type of napkin to clean up the mess before it stained.

Narcissa merely rolled her eyes at him, flicking her wand in his direction. The mess was clean almost instantly. How frustrating it was to be constantly reminded that he was not a pureblood like the rest of the people living in this house. He sighed, settling back into the chair again. Narcissa took the loveseat opposite.

She stared at him for a few moments, examining. "You look a wreck."

He chuckled, "Can you blame me? I've been pretending to be you all day."

"And I'm very grateful for that. We both are, in fact."

Lucius walked in, still in the process of tying back his hair with a ribbon. Severus could see the sweat stains under his arms from a long night of flattering and kissing ass. It was comforting to see that Lucius was still human under all his pomp and poise. The man was such a perfectionist, sometimes it could be difficult to tell.

He sat beside his wife, and she unconsciously slipped a hand around his thigh. "I see... you found the alcohol without a problem, didn't you?"

Severus nodded, taking another deep gulp and enjoying the heat rolling down his throat. "Oh yes. My first move once I was dismissed."

Lucius put an arm around Narcissa's shoulders, pulling her against him. He certainly seemed to be full of himself this evening. And why shouldn't he be? The three of them had successfully navigated the suspicions of fellow Slytherins, fellow Death Eaters, and even the Dark Lord himself.

"God Lucius, when he showed up, I thought I was going to piss myself."

Narcissa looked up to him, dropping her hair into Lucius' lap. "Who? Don't tell me Sirius showed up."

Lucius shook his head. "I wish. I would have rather had ten Sirius Blacks than the Dark Lord appear."

She gasped, "Lucius - not here! Not in our home."

"Unfortunately, dear. I'm sorry. I had no idea he would plan to show, or I... I would have made preparations."

"Yes," Severus curled his lip in disgust. "He bloody well made me jump out of my skin when he just appeared on the balcony. It was a good thing I didn't drink too much during the party. I very well might have puked all over the Dark Lord's cloak. And by the way! Your sister is one hell of a bitch!"

Narcissa laughed, "Yes she certainly is. And knowing my _darling_ sister, I'm sure she couldn't help but make a comment about Lucius, could she?" She flicked a hand up to his cheek admirably.

"Yes, she was certain Draco must have had a different father." Severus laughed, but he could see the glint of anger in Narcissa's eyes. Maybe it was better that he had been the one to deal with that outburst and not her. "Either way, Lucius and I need to head out."

"What?" Narcissa gasped. "Oh not already. You two haven't even had a moment to relax!"

"I'm afraid he's right, dear," Lucius sighed. "Apparently the Dark Lord has had some new information on the murderer behind Barnabus' death."

Severus downed the rest of his whiskey in a single swig, then got to his feet. He agreed with Narcissa, he wasn't exactly in the mood to face the Dark Lord again either, but he knew that didn't matter much. They would be expected all the same, and that meant they would need to come up with a good alibi for why he hadn't been to the party.


	4. The Maligned Hand

Chapter 4: The Maligned Hand

Severus and Lucius walked down the long path that made up the Malfoy Manor drive. It was about a quarter of a mile long, and gave them a few moments to pull on their cloaks and masks. There was a non-apparation ward all around the property, so in order to meet him they'd need to leave the barriers first. Before them the giant black gate sprawled across the dirt path, with the name Malfoy formed by the cast iron seeming to mingle with the ivy and honeysuckle that tried to overwhelm it. Apparently his house elf was also slacking in trimming the grounds as well. That meant he would receive two kicks to the buttocks when next he saw him.

Lucius waved his hand, and the gate swung silently back. The House Elves kept this device well maintained, and likely Lucius had added charms to make it even more silent. They walked through, closing the gate behind them, then rolled up the left sleeve of their cloaks, revealing their ever-twisting, ever-changing Dark Marks.

"Any idea what you're going to tell him?" Lucius' voice hissed out through the mask like hot steam.

"I've got a few ideas," Severus' voice sounded more like the deep creak of heavy metal. "He'll assume I helped deliver the boy anyway."

Lucius nodded, holding the tip of his wand to the Dark Mark, wincing as it glowed a fluorescent green. Severus did the same, and then they spoke the command in unison: "Take me to my Lord."

The apparation was quick, but always quite painful, especially when they moved with the Mark. While a typical apparation would be surrounded in a tunnel of lights and greys, traveling via the Mark was more like being dragged through a painful dark tunnel, with flashes of green. When they finally landed, it always took a moment for their heads to quit spinning, and for the pain to subside.

They were in a graveyard, a small plot outside of a giant family home. The building was almost as dilapidated as the gravestones, but there were a few windows with light emanating from them. The air smelled foul, and Lucius gave a pointed look down to a creek not too far off. He could see the pale forms of bodies there, face-down in the water. Likely they were either the muggles who had owned the poor place or squatters that were in the way. He stepped around the graves and headed toward the front door, his feet squishing in the mud. He opened the door, his wand at the ready. He never knew what to expect when he was summoned, and he had found it always best to be on guard when he came. Up the winding staircase they crept, stepping cautiously around the few missing steps. The stairway was narrow, very much like the buildings that had been erected in the early 1800s. This home, though a horrible mess now, must have once been the standing beauty of the neighborhood. The walls had bare patches where portraits used to hang. The bodies had likely been squatters then, gutting the house for any scrap worth selling. The stairway stopped at the third floor, and in the distance they saw a low-burning fire. A high-backed chair was facing them, and the two of them promptly knelt upon entering the room.

"My Lord," Lucius whispered. "You called for us?"

"Yes," Voldemort answered. He stood from the chair and came around to see him, his hands steepled before him. It was a purely business meeting this time, and lacked the informality that he'd displayed only an hour past. "Severus... I had expected to see you at Malfoy Manor this evening. What kept you?"

"An interesting job opportunity, my Lord. Apparently Dumbledore is looking for a new professor at Hogwarts. "

"Interesting. And what specifically is he looking to hire?"

Severus' hands gripped tighter behind his back, "Defense Against the Dark Arts."

The Dark Lord smiled, his eyes red and seeming all the more sinister with the firelight behind him. "Interesting. This might be a useful tool for us, Severus. The opportunities at Hogwarts would not only get you closer to Dumbledore, but would be far more useful than the pathetic work that St. Mungo's has you doing. This may be a fortunate turn of events. I'd much prefer you to get closer to Dumbledore than waste your time with a newborn Malfoy."

He laughed to himself, and Lucius forced himself to bite his tongue. The Dark Lord could be quite callous about family, especially when children were involved. He'd outwardly laughed at Bellatrix when she'd miscarried a couple of years back. Bella had been grief stricken, and was reduced to sobbing everywhere. It was a mistake, a weakness that the Dark Lord had found absolutely entertaining, and he frequently reminded her about it. By comparison to that cruelty, Lucius could handle a few pointed barbs now and then.

"Now," Voldemort flicked his hand and the high-backed chair spun around so that he could settle into it. "I have some important information for the two of you, and a task of utmost secrecy." He put his hand out, face-up and Lucius and Severus got back to their feet like well-trained pups. "The Barnabus murders. I believe we've discovered exactly who is behind them, and how you are going to get rid of them."

"Of course, My Lord. Whatever you desire," Lucius whispered.

"They are a group of Reformist Wizards, much like ourselves, but their intents are quite the opposite. They are a pathetic group filled with muggle-borns and half-bloods, quite disgusting really. Their goal, from what intelligence tells me, is to destroy us and dismantle the Ministry." He smiled, and Lucius felt his skin crawl. "These fools need to die, and quickly before they gain any further power."

"Whatever you ask," Severus muttered. Lucius couldn't help but note the tinge of insult in his voice, though the Dark Lord seemed not to notice, or at least not to care.

"They are calling themselves The Maligned Hand, and are apparently experts at wandless magic and excel at blood magic in particular." He chuckled, the sound always put a pit into Lucius' stomach. "Can you imagine? A bunch of muggle-borns telling us that they are blood magic experts? Their very gall astounds me."

"When would you like us to go?" Lucius asked, attempting to keep his voice as emotionless as possible.

"Tonight. Just the two of you. I don't want anyone else involved. If they prove to be too much for you two, then I expect you to return immediately with a report. And... I don't want that to be the case."

Lucius shuffled, "But My Lord, with all respect, how are we to defeat an entire organization in a single night? With just the two of us?"

"You two are my lead generals, are you not? And they're merely weak-minded fools. Besides," he stood and walked over to the window overlooking the graveyard. "Severus has more than enough supplies here to stock an army."

Lucius heard his friend gasp beside him, and he wished he could see his face beneath the mask. "I'm afraid I don't understand..."

"Lucius, where your powers are perception are quite inferior, I am fortunate to have Severus here who will understand precisely what I speak of. Now go, their base of operations is a mile north of here, and I'm certain that you can find all the resources you need, Severus, to make sure this is a successful mission. I don't intend to allow a single one of the Hand to survive. If they do," he smiled. "I'll know precisely who to blame."

Lucius was speechless. He had never been insulted quite to that extent before, and he couldn't help the rage that welled up within him towards Severus. What army was the Dark Lord referring to? And surely Severus would agree that even with both of their abilities, this mission would certainly mean death.

But Severus nodded, "Of course, My Lord. It shall be done."

The two of them bowed deeply, and then the Dark Lord apparated into a dark mass that made the fire within the hearth seem dim.

"Severus..."

His friend removed his mask, and Lucius could see the grief spread across his face. "I never wanted to have to do this, Lucius. I mean, he sent me to train for it, I learned it, but I never expected him to-"

"Do what, Severus? How can I possibly assist you with this task if you don't tell me what is necessary here?"

But Severus turned quickly to descend the stairs, his voice echoing up the empty corridor. "He sent me to train during the summer after my fifth year. I believe you and Narcissa were on your honeymoon at the time. But he sent Regulus and me to America, to Louisiana, to learn how to do it. He said we were the only members who would fully understand the reasons for it. We were the only ones that had a talent for such depravity. I was just excited to be learning a forbidden magic, and Regulus was happy to join me."

Lucius smiled, "He always did fancy you."

Severus was quiet for a moment, "He couldn't master it though, not like I could. He didn't have the patience, the dedication I could put toward it." They stepped out of the building and down toward the tiny family plot again. "But I learned it. I mastered it, perhaps even more than the Dark Lord knows. Lucius," he paused at the mud that made up the graveyard, that separated it from the rest of the lawn. "I learned how to make inferi."

#

Lucius hadn't known what to expect in this plan, but inferi were hardly part of it. The army the Dark Lord was requesting, an army of the dead. Such a thing was considered an evil far surpassing even the fearsome Grindelvold, mostly because inferi were so vicious, not to mention nearly invulnerable. Lucius had heard speculation that the creatures could not even be killed, though he had only heard rumors. He had never even seen one, and knowing that Severus had somehow gained this training without his knowledge... he felt somewhat betrayed, but he felt better understanding why his friend had outranked him apparently overnight. He had been given opportunities that Lucius had not been allowed, and since he was not harnessed to a family - neither he nor Regulus had a wife or even a girlfriend to speak of - they had been the perfect ones to send off.

Severus stepped forward, his feet sinking into the mud as he walked amid the tombstones. "You might not want to watch this, Lucius. It can be a little... unsettling."

Lucius nodded, but stood watch outside of the decrepit knee-height fence that surrounded the family plot. Severus walked into the center, and produced his wand and a dagger. He pulled back the sleeve of his right arm as the sky opened with a lightning bolt. Then he dragged the dagger from his palm down to his elbow with a cry of pain. Lucius stepped forward, but paused. It was Dark Magic after all, and the only way that truly powerful Dark Magic could be harnessed was through pain and suffering. Even if it was self-inflicted.

He cried out some incantation and then with his wand created a hole in the ground, shoving his arm into it. "Come forth!" He cried as a droplets of rain started falling from above, fat ones that trickled down the back of his neck when they landed on his head. And then Severus started to pull on something. The ground started vibrating around them, and Lucius found himself backing up. Severus pulled his arm out, but something was grasped onto his elbow. A pale, white hand clutching to him with the same fierceness that Lucius was clutching onto the side of the house. He felt his heart thundering in his temples as Severus pulled out the rest of the creature from the earth, completely pale and missing an eye. He was dropping pieces of himself onto the ground, as though the dirt was still falling from him. But then Lucius realized that that wasn't dirt, but maggots pouring from the large hole gaping from the man's belly. It was at that point that Lucius folded forward and vomited onto the ground, heedless of the earth still vibrating around them. When he had recovered enough to look up again, there were several figures standing with Severus – some of them only crawling with hands outstretched, they were in such a far state of decomposition. A few were merely skeletons, and yet walked with the same cadence as a human as they followed Severus out of the plot and toward him.

Severus had a resigned look in his eyes, but there was much sadness there as well. "I'm sorry, Lucius. I never expected to have to."

Lucius shook his head, still trying to calm his stomach. "It's alright, Severus. You do what you have to. We all do."

He scurgified himself as well as Severus, and then they started walking down the street that headed north. "He said there would be plenty of places to build the army, so I doubt these will be the only ones I'll have to make. The poor, bloody souls."

He considered turning around to count them, but decided he wasn't entirely satisfied with how well his stomach was handling the situation. "How many do we have?"

"Around twenty, give or take. Some of them I doubt will be able to keep up, and I can't be choosy. If they follow, they'll be quite useful. Otherwise, we could have some problems."

Lucius sighed, wishing he were home with his beautiful wife and holding a fine glass of merlot instead of being followed by a shambling group of muggle corpses. "How many do you think we'll need?"

Severus grimaced, swallowing. "I'd say quite a bit more. Possibly near a hundred."

Lucius closed his eyes. The thought of even one of these creatures terrified him more than he'd expected, but the thought of a hundred made him nearly panic. "I guess we can only hope that The Maligned Hand doesn't also have a powerful necromancer then."

He smiled, "That would completely fuck this up."

Lucius tried to laugh, but simply couldn't muster up the strength. He thought of the party, of all the perfectly oblivious wizards and witches he'd seen who hadn't even been thinking of the Dark Lord. What would they do if an innocent member of the wizarding world decided to take a stroll down this path tonight? Or happened to show up at the wrong place at the wrong time? Would he and Severus let the inferi rip the poor fools apart? Would they be _forced_ to allow it? The road threaded through a copse of trees that finally parted, and the pavement here was quite old. In the distance he could see another graveyard, far bigger than this one had been. However it looked like the road had been put in after the graveyard; the sides were several feet higher than the road and quite steep. Far back in the graveyard, he could just barely make out a group, of muggles perhaps, chatting around a makeshift camp fire. Damn, this could get ugly.

"Do you see what I see up there? On the hill?"

"Yes..." the fatigue in his friend's voice meant he'd been thinking precisely what Lucius had. "Can you scare them away? Without them knowing, I mean?"

Lucius nodded, "I'll do my best, Severus."

Severus smiled half-heartedly as Lucius started crawling up the hillside, "Come now, I know you can be scary when you want to be. Just be quick about it. I don't want anyone else showing up unexpectedly."

#

Lucius banked the cliff side, and nearly stumbled on the uneven ground. When he got up to the top of the graveyard, he could more clearly spot the muggles around the campfire. They sat, chatting and laughing. He approached them at a quick walk, and on a whim picked up a branch off the ground. If these kids stayed, if they saw the army that was staggering behind Severus up the road, they would be a liability. His hood and mask were down at least, meaning he could approach them without them even suspecting he was a wizard - though if his plan worked, that'd be the last thing they would expect!

He snapped the stick into a shorter, more maneuverable form and shoved it into his pocket. It took him a moment, but he was able to transfigure it into a makeshift gun. It wasn't a functioning gun of course, and probably wouldn't even be recognizable in broad daylight as being a real one, but the show would be all he needed. Muggles were such easily frightened creatures, and a gunman prowling the graveyard would give all the impetus needed to explain away the true atrocities they were about to commit. As he made his way closer, he made out four teenagers: two boys sitting around the fire, and a boy and girl snogging a little ways off. They must have been around maybe five years or so younger than him. It seemed like such a very long time ago that he was able to relax and enjoy his nights like these four could.

One of the boys at the fire looked up and smiled, "Greetings, mate! You're welcome to join us if you want." He tipped his dirty hat at him – it was supposed to be friendly, but in truth Lucius found the boy's clothes quite disgusting.

Honestly, didn't muggles know anything about personal safety in these parts? Such naivety; what if he was a real gunman? He felt renewed purpose, and brandished the weapon from his pocket, careful to keep it in the shadows. "That's quite kind of you; however, I think I'm going to take your money instead, and we can call it a night. Does that sound good to you?"

The two boys became wide-eyed immediately, and Lucius went ahead and cocked the gun. The young lovers in the back took notice finally and the boy nearly stumbled to the ground in his haste to get to his feet. The two in front exchanged a look - perhaps they were considering a fight?

"Oh, I wouldn't do that if I were you," Lucius smirked. "Just drop it here and then be off with you."

They did as he asked, wordlessly like a bunch of mutes, their pale faces illuminated by the fire. The boy from the back started weeping. When they'd done as he asked, he nodded in approval.

"Excellent. Now be off with you. And if I see one of your faces in these parts again, I'll be sure you'll get a nice greeting. Now go!"

He flicked the fake gun towards the woods behind them. They looked amidst themselves before taking a few steps back. But none of them left.

"Did I stutter?" He aimed the gun into the sky and cast through it to give the sound of a gunshot. Oh, how much he enjoyed frightening muggles! Creating these showy gestures was half the fun in his opinion. The gunshot was a little bit off - far too high-pitched for such a small weapon - but that certainly didn't dampen their speed as they chased off into the woods.

Lucius sighed to himself, levitating the muggle money into his change purse, and extinguishing the fire. It was a crude method to be certain, but still quite effective. He wondered if Severus knew of the trick. You never knew when you might need to scare the crap out of some muggles after all. Putting their lives in danger was at times the best way to gain their attention.

He started making his way back to the road, and saw that Severus' army had nearly doubled from the gravestones across the way, and they were still emerging from the ground. Severus stumbled a bit, his arm stained with blood, and Lucius shuddered to see one of the inferi steady him. Severus looked far less perturbed by their makeshift army though, and was beginning to come towards him, passing beneath the rod iron arches that made up the entrances on either side of the road.

Lucius paused and waited for them. A cool breeze was blowing across the green expanse, carrying all the lovely smells that the army brought with them. It made him nauseous, but he had to remind himself that at least he wasn't having to actually breathe life into these creatures. Each time Severus did it he grew weaker, and Lucius wondered what would happen if he passed out altogether. He had no idea if these things would obey him or if they might even turn on him. He was a complete novice in this area of magic, and his only practitioner looked ready to collapse at any moment.

Severus walked up the stone steps, having to concentrate to keep his balance. Lucius took his forearm to assist him, "You can't do much more than this. If you fall on me, this entire mission will be scrapped!"

The man was even paler in person than he was from a distance, his skin an illuminated white between the pale moon above and the dark red blood that covered his arms. He looked absolutely miserable, and ended up leaning on Lucius more than expected. "Lucius, we don't have enough. Look at them. There is barely fifty here. If this group is as dangerous as the Dark Lord seemed to think, we will need more than just this."

Lucius sighed. Trust Severus to push himself nearly to exhaustion and still demand to keep pushing. He was driven, and in his dark eyes Lucius realized exactly why he was losing his head over this. He wasn't fighting for the Dark Lord at the moment. He was fighting for Lily. Somehow in his upside-down logic he'd decided that by impressing the Dark Lord, he would somehow save Lily Potter's life. Seeing his grief, Voldemort had given him a task that would surely prove impossible, and ended up sending along Lucius as well - either to remind him that Death Eater work always had a priority over family, or to keep Severus from killing himself. He wasn't entirely sure.

He crouched down, bringing Severus down with him, and let him rest for a moment with his back on the grass. The dead things waited patiently, standing in the empty road or spilling up into the graveyard just a few feet away. "Severus, I'm going to be as honest as I can be with you. Alright?" His eyes were glazed over as though he was moments away from completely passing out. "Severus, listen to me!" He slapped him, only slightly glad to see his eyes roll towards him again. "I know what you're thinking. I know what you're planning, and I'm going to remind you that it won't work."

Severus shook his head, grunting and trying to break free from his grip. He knew what Lucius was going to say, and he was afraid of being persuaded to change his mind. He was afraid of losing steam. "What are you talking about? Let go of me, Lucius. You're... being ridiculous," he gasped from the energy it took just to struggle.

"You're not going to help her this way. Do you understand me?" Severus' eyes welled up even as his rage built.

"You don't know. You have no idea if it will do anything or not. You're merely guessing!"

But Lucius shook his head, "Severus, listen to yourself! Have you ever known our Lord to show mercy? To be understanding even? Why do you think he would start now?"

"Because..." He was breathing hard and tears were rolling down his face. "Because he said he would. He would show her mercy when her time came, he promised me."

Lucius closed his eyes for a moment. How do you argue with a man who's so blinded by love that he refuses to listen to reason? He pulled out his wand and scourgified his friend's arm, cleaning up the blood that still shone wet. "And you believed him?"

Severus was silent a moment, his eyes on the star-filled sky above. "Yes, I did. I believed him, and I know you're going to say that was stupid, but I'd do it all over again!"

"I didn't say you were stupid. I probably would have done the same."

He grew silent at that, "You're only saying that to make me feel better."

Lucius grinned, "Perhaps. Or maybe I know what it is like to love someone so completely that you go a little mad."

He cracked a smile, and allowed Lucius to pull him up to a sitting position.

"Now, we're going to take this pathetic group of zombies and assault the Maligned Hand full-force, alright?"

Severus nodded, trying to catch his breath despite the tears that threatened to overwhelm him. He looked to Lucius and smiled, "You're good you know. You sure you shouldn't be a counselor instead of politics?"

Lucius smirked, "Oh, stop it!"

"I'm serious! St. Mungo's would probably do well to have you."

He pulled Severus up to his feet, his arm around his shoulders to help him stay upright. "Imagine someone of my caliber working at St. Mungo's! Really Severus, I'd be the laughing stock of the Wizarding World!"

But Severus was pale again, shaking his head. "This is no good, Lucius. I don't have the strength. I think I spent too much of myself on them. I need... a moment to rest."

Lucius studied him for a moment. He could think of one sure way to help his friend regain his strength, but he was nearly certain Severus would be against it. He hated acknowledging that part of his lineage, and despised even a light-hearted mentioning. They didn't have the time to allow him to rest, or to wait on a Blood-Replenishing potion. They had little time as it was. "You could always drink from me."

Severus' eyes turned to daggers. Normally Lucius would have taken a step back. But since there was no escaping it, or ignoring it, he was stuck dealing with it at full force. Severus might have walked away completely from the conversation if he'd offered it in any other circumstance. But at the moment he didn't seem like he had much of a choice, and Lucius hoped he would see it that way. Severus certainly couldn't lead an army in his condition, and Lucius hadn't the faintest idea of how to lead it in his place. The only alternative would be to hold off on the assault until tomorrow night, and by then their Dark Lord would have considered it a failed mission.

Before the words had barely left his lips, Lucius quickly added, "I'm sorry I mentioned it. It was probably a bad idea anyway."

Severus gritted his teeth, "Merlin, do you think he expected this? Do you think he wanted me to have to?"

"I don't know. There's no way we can tell to be honest. I mean, he might not even know."

"Oh he knows, trust me." Severus grunted, making his way back to the ground with Lucius' help. "He finds it quite amusing that I'm a quarter vampire, and uses every chance he can to point it out to me. He probably wanted me to push myself so that I would be forced to drink from you."

Lucius sighed. The problem with being led by an arrogant Dark Lord who believed he was both omniscient and omnipotent was that it was difficult to tell when he was all-knowing or just acting on a hunch. And if Voldemort was here and he was asked, he'd likely say that of course it was part of his plan, and how dare you think otherwise. But Lucius was not so easily fooled. He'd been with him since near the beginning, before black hoods were donned and death-like masks adorned, back when they had been known as The Knights of Walpurgis. He had seen the first makings of an extreme political group and watched helplessly as it turned into a full-blown cult. But Severus had a difficult time paring out the truth from the disguise, and that was probably why he had gone to the Dark Lord originally and begged for Lily's life. He thought he would understand his situation and show mercy. He asked him this because he thought Voldemort was some godlike entity and that he would be able to understand, even from his lofty position, how love worked. What he hadn't anticipated, and what Lucius was only just beginning to grasp, was that their Lord was an abstract form of a selfish child who hated his minions almost as much as he hated muggles. If he did choose to show any kind of mercy to Lily Potter, it would be meager and only to mock Severus' request.

He pulled back the sleeve of his robe and held it up to Severus' mouth, who merely looked unimpressed. "I don't have fangs, Lucius. I'm a quarter only."

"Don't you have a knife?"

Severus grinned, his usual color conspicuously absent, and drew a hand into a pocket of his robe to produce the very disgusting looking ritual knife he'd used on himself. "I guess I could clean it up for you..." His speech was getting slightly slurred and he was swaying back and forth - likely he was about to pass out.

"Oh really," he pulled out his own wand. "_Sectum_." A sharp pain followed by a red blossom of blood that welled up above the inch-long cut. Lucius looked at him, "Well, come on then."

Severus though looked concerned. "I don't know if this is right though, Lucius. Is it really right for me to be taking your blood to make up for my own foolishness? You may need this energy later!"

Lucius grabbed him by the hair and slammed his lips upon the wound. The idiot could be so damn indecisive at times! He waited for a moment, and at first felt nothing. He was about to call out his name, when it suddenly felt like tiny fishing lines were being pulled taut all through his arm. His hand was shaking, and the pain was moving upwards into his elbow, past his bicep and spreading out from his shoulder. He couldn't move his fingers any longer, and Severus was now gripping his arm with both hands, pulling the blood at a much steadier pace. Lucius had never had his blood drunk from him before. It wasn't nearly as attractive as he had been led to believe. The pain was now spreading out across his chest, and Lucius began to panic about what would happen if it reached his heart. He tried to push Severus' head off of his arm, but the man's lips were locked tight. He tried to pull his body away, but Severus let himself be dragged along. Lucius' breathing became labored and he was beginning to see stars. No, he couldn't die in such a disgusting place: in a muggle graveyard beside a small troop of inferi! He aimed his wand as straight as he could, and then gritted out the spell: "_Expelliarmus_!"

Severus went flying across the walkway and to the other side of the stairway. Lucius pulled his arm into his chest, his panic only increasing as he saw just how very pale his hand had become. When he realized he couldn't move it, he let out a most undignified crow of horror. And that was when he realized the dead things were coming, moving forward with as much speed as they could muster with their misshapen bodies. One of them was merely an upper torso, and its hands ignored the stairs and instead started climbing up the side of the cliff, grabbing big handfuls of grass as it made its way up. Another had been a rather large man in life, but his belly had slowly been worn away over the weeks since his burial, and now he simply looked like a disproportioned creature with limbs too big to match his body. Then Lucius realized they were rushing toward _him_.

He scrambled to his feet, tripped over one of the headstones in the process, and nearly fell face-first on the dirt. Then the creature with only arms grabbed hold of his cloak and started climbing up his body, dripping bits and pieces of itself as it went. The hands were mostly recognizable, though Lucius could still see splotches of bone showing through, and one of them grabbed hold of his shoulder as the other flipped over to grab his wand hand. The face itself was sunken in and reeked of dirt, rot, and decay. Its eyes were missing, but its teeth were still in prime form. It tried to bite at him, but Lucius dodged his head back just far enough to be out of its bite radius. Then the moonlight was blocked out by the big inferus, and Lucius braced himself as the creature lifted its arms in a two-handed fist.

"Stop!" Severus roared, and in an instant the fight came to a halt. The arm creature relented its hold and climbed down the way it had gone up, and the giant lumbering inferi calmly returned to his undead allies. Lucius was stuck gasping, his eyes wide as he watched the creatures move over to their master. Their strength far surpassed anything he had expected, and Lucius felt himself shaking from head to toe. He was gasping for air, fighting back the urge to scream again as Severus got to his feet. Amid his undead pets with blood splattered up his arms and on his mouth, he looked truly monstrous. He himself could have passed for one of his creatures, and all Lucius could do was grip his wand so tight his knuckles went white.

His friend made his way toward him, color now returning to his cheeks, and his eyes a tad lighter than they had been a moment ago. "Lucius, I'm so sorry! Are you alright?"

Lucius tried to calm himself so he could speak, but his teeth kept trying to chatter. Severus knelt down beside him and muttered a spell under his breath as the wound stitched itself together. Reluctantly Lucius allowed himself to be pulled to his feet. He tried to calm himself down, opting not to speak until he could do so in a steady voice.

"I didn't know they were going to attack you. I forgot they would defend me like that, and I hadn't realized you'd have to thrust me off of you the way you did."

Lucius sat down on one of the smaller headstones, leaning forward to cradle his head between his legs. God, he'd nearly lost himself back there: surrounded by a herd of creatures more dead than alive, and only a few moments away from being ripped apart! It took him a few moments to catch his breath again, but at least Severus was up and looked far better than he had just a few minutes ago. His arm was throbbing now, and quite stiff when he tried to wiggle his fingers, but luckily it wasn't his dueling arm.

Severus was eying him as though he was a caldron threating to bubble over the sides. "Are you going to be alright? Up for this, I mean?"

"Yes," Lucius sighed as his nerves finally started to calm. "Just keep a better leash on your pets, won't you?"

He clenched his jaw, "Of course. I'll do my best."

"Do better than that!" There was more anger in his voice than he meant, and once Lucius had let out a trickle, the entire dam started breaking. "If they turn on me while we're in the middle of a fight, I won't hesitate to put them down. And then we'll be diminishing our own forces!"

Severus was still watching him with that intense stare as though he was looking past the words and into Lucius' very emotions. "Then be sure to keep your aim straight. If you harm me in any way, they will lash out at you. Although they will in general follow their master's orders, I cannot be held responsible for your mistakes."

Lucius gave a gruff laugh, but decided against furthering this line of talk. They still had a job to do, and the more they quibbled about stupid problems, the closer it came to dawn. He didn't know a great deal about inferi, but he recalled they were weakened against the light of day. That was why they were usually quarantined to a cave, an underground cavern, or even to basements in the older pureblood homes. And there was no telling how many members of The Maligned Hand might stand in their way.

"Is this enough you think?" He motioned to the gang of zombies standing behind them, shuffling aimlessly amidst the dirt-trodden paths.

"Ideally I'd like to have more, but I don't want to chance another drink from you. Next time you may not be able to throw me off."

Lucius nodded, pushing himself to his feet and wiping off the sweat that had formed on his upper lip. "Then we'll do what we can with these. If we're lucky there will be fewer members than we're expecting."

#

The Maligned Hand had chosen a rather unusual place to call their base of operations. The building had once been an old farm house, complete with red paint as dark as the blood that stained Severus' arms. There were two sets of doors, one at the bottom and a smaller set just above for the hay loft all lined in brilliant white. The building looked slightly aged with time, giving it the appearance that it had stood abandoned by the previous tenants for a year or two. About fifty yards east of it was the foundation and burnt remains of the house that had once complemented it; now nothing more than charred black earth and a concrete slab. The barn had a few holes, mostly around the roof where the wind had tried to pry it loose, but the doors were all still attached. Although the wood and paint looked worn with time and weather, the hinges themselves looked quite fresh. Likely, members were forced to use the door to enter instead of just apparating inside. This could mean one of two things: there were anti-apparation wards all around the property, or they had muggles that also worked with them. Judging by the group's desire to rid the world of pureblood wizards, Lucius was betting on the latter.

Severus had left his minions behind while he stalked around the property looking for wards that could indicate the level of power the group possessed. The barn had a fairly thick copse of trees not far from it, and that's where Lucius was waiting with the brood. His friend was making his way back now, and although he made not a single sound or any visual cue, Lucius had discovered an interesting side effect to having Severus drink from him. He was now able to feel his presence whenever he drew near, without having to actually see him. It was quite fascinating, and he made a mental note that they would have to explore this factor more once their mission was finished.

"Blood wards all around the area," Lucius heard Severus' voice from the mask he'd donned as soon as the barn had been in sight. "I'm pretty sure they've got anti-apparation wards up as well."

Lucius nodded. "And can you tell how many are inside?"

Severus was silent for a moment, "That's what I'm worried about, Lucius. I think we're out of our league. I'm counting at least a hundred within, if not more." The doubt that crept into his voice was unnerving.

He closed his eyes a minute, and cursed to himself. Why would there be so many of them? Hadn't the Dark Lord told them that this was a burgeoning organization? Surely they weren't that quick to breed! Of course, considering Barnabus' murder and that of his family, they had to have quite a following to make such a bold move against their Lord. They were expecting an assault. Perhaps not tonight, but they were expecting some kind of rebuttal for their actions.

"Lucius, are you still with me?"

"Yes," he shifted his legs to keep his limbs from falling asleep from the crouch. "Go ahead. What else was there?"

"It looks like they're definitely blood mages. I found a pit near the house filled with bodies, or at least remnants of them. They've practically been torn to pieces. I don't know what their plan is, but I don't know if they're really supporters of muggles and half-bloods. From what I could tell, every last body in there were muggles. And I counted at least twenty!"

Lucius bit his lip, "And were they drained?"

"It was difficult to tell without moving them too much, but it looked like it. I didn't smell any blood on them."

"Damn. Then this might be quite a bit more complicated than even Our Lord anticipated. If they collected all that blood to use as a power source, we're going to be in trouble. I doubt even these inferi are going to do much good against that kind of power."

Severus was quiet for a moment, "Come back with me. To where we entered the trees, I think I might have a plan. Here, I'll tell the creatures to follow."

Lucius made his way through the woods, not feeling entirely comfortable with a pack of flesh-hungry abominations traveling behind him. Severus was waiting for him as he made his way out of the dense foliage. He pulled his mask off, and took in a deep breath of the night air. It was refreshing... until their little army caught up with them.

Severus removed his as well, "Look: this group is obviously selling a lie of some sort. Tricking muggles in here and using them for some screwed up sacrifices. And on top of that they're going out and killing off Death Eaters by slaughtering them _and_ their families. Innocents that don't deserve that sort of treatment!"

He shifted uncomfortably, "I understand what you're saying, Severus. But how is that going to get any closer to getting rid of them?"

He pointed an accusatory finger toward the barn that was out of view. "That group is making enemies of pure-bloods, half-bloods, _and_ muggles. Meaning he's making enemies of both the Dark Lord _and_ the Order."

"Severus, I don't think that's going to-"

"But if I went to Dumbledore and told him about this, he'd want to get rid of them the same as the Dark Lord does. He'll see them as just as much of a threat. And if we can prove that to him, then he might allow Order members to assist. Maybe then we'd have a fighting chance against him!"

Lucius shook his head, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Do you hear what you're saying, or are you just talking without thinking? You want us, two people he knows to be Death Eaters, to go to Dumbledore and beg for his help on a mission for the Dark Lord? Are you mad? He'll laugh in our face and then hex us as we walk out the door!"

"No, no - maybe not! He'll know I'm telling the truth, and if I do this right, it may prove to him that I'm trustworthy."

For a moment Lucius wondered if the Headmaster of Hogwarts had planted this kind of trickery into his head when he went to beg for Lily Potter's life. Or maybe he had put him under an Imperius Curse - but no. That would mean he had not only approved of inferi, but was skilled in making them. And regardless of how powerful Dumbledore was, Lucius was almost certain that necromancy was not part of his list of skills.

"You're not thinking this through, my friend." Lucius placed a hand on each of Severus' arms, trying to look him square in the eye. "You just went to Dumbledore a few weeks ago and begged to work for him. Now you're wanting his help in the Dark Lord's plan? I think you're moving far too quickly here, and if you're not careful you'll wind up dead!"

Severus shoved his hands off and took a step back, "Do you have a better idea, Lucius? We have to get this done tonight, if you haven't forgotten, and knowing the Dark Lord he is using this as a proof of loyalty for Lily's life. I'm doing all of this for her!" His dark eyes were filling with tears, "If we are not successful, then he'll kill her anyway. And I can't let that happen! Now wait here, I'll explain everything to him and see what he says. If he wants to help, then great! Otherwise we'll be on our own. The worst that could happen is we'll have the same number of forces we do now."

He lifted up his wand and Lucius bolted toward him, "Severus - no!" But he wasn't fast enough, and Severus apparated into nothingness.

Lucius was stuck with his arms outstretched feeling the pit of terror grip his insides once more. If Severus told Dumbledore everything that had happened this night, then the two of them might be as good as dead. If the Headmaster of Hogwarts was outraged he might just send Severus off to Azkaban in an instant! And if the Dark Lord even suspected that Lucius had approved of the Order's assistance...

Damn, regardless of how he looked at it, this entire mission might just be their undoing! If the Order followed Severus back here and saw Lucius waiting for them, and if the Dark Lord found out, he'd likely be slain by either side. Gods, it was one thing for Severus to put himself in this kind of dangerous situation, but Lucius wanted no part of this! Damn him and his reckless love!


	5. Learning to Work with a Dotty Old Man

As usual, comments and reviews are always welcome! Glad to hear folks are enjoying this piece too!

Chapter 5: Learning to Work with a Dotty Old Man

The minutes ticked by and Lucius found himself pacing back and forth in the small clearing they had made their base of operations. Severus was taking far too long. It had already been nearly an hour. Honestly, how long did it take to get a 'Yes' or 'No' from Albus Dumbledore? The night felt very long and Lucius produced his pocket watch to determine how much time they had left. Two in the morning. Meaning they would have only a few hours to complete a mission that should have taken all night. And what if Severus never came back? What if - as Lucius had feared - Dumbledore decided to turn on him and send him off to Azkaban anyway? If that happened, what would happen to his undead minions? How he wished Severus would put more thought into his hair-brained schemes!

Perhaps he should go ahead and leave if the mission was impossible to complete. That would mean of course facing the Dark Lord and explaining to him what happened. He would certainly be angry, and there was a good chance that he'd take his rage out on Lucius. Could he truly tell him with a straight face that Severus had switched sides? And would he believe that Lucius had no part in it?

Then he heard several pops from behind him toward the graveyard. Just to be safe, he ordered the band of inferi into the woods then found a place to hide himself. The figures were moving down the same path that he and Severus had taken to get here. There were four of them in total, and one was wearing the Death Eater robe. As they moved closer he could feel that Severus was growing nearer, but stayed hidden nonetheless. If this was a trap to catch him as well, he didn't plan on going down easily, so he slid his mask down in preparation for battle.

"...you can trust him? I just don't get it, Albus!" The unmistakable voice of Sirius Black lilted over the field, and Lucius gripped his wand tighter. Black was a known source of muscle for the Order. If they'd sent him along they knew they need his physical prowess in battle - but was it against The Maligned Hand or him? "I mean, come on, Moony! You have to have some reservations against this." So Lupin was with them too. He'd brought two of his top fighters to the battle, and even come himself as well. Either Severus was very persuasive about the dangers this group posed, or Dumbledore was planning on taking out Severus and Lucius before heading back to his gilded office at Hogwarts.

Lupin was quiet a moment, and when he spoke his voice was more hushed than his friend's. "I think Albus knows when there's a bigger risk at hand. And if we don't put an end to it now, we might never get another chance. Wait... Malfoy is nearby. And... oh God, the stench of those inferi!"

Damn, why hadn't he remembered to hide his own scent? He'd forgotten Lupin was indeed still a werewolf, and that his sense of smell was far keener than the muggles they had been dealing with earlier. Though he had to admit the inferi had their own disgusting scent that would need masking even for the most dimwitted muggles.

"Lucius?" Albus called, "Come forward, please. We are here to help you and Severus with this task, for it is indeed a suicide mission from what I can tell."

He wrestled with himself for a moment, then stepped forward with wand outstretched. "And why should I believe you?" His voice came out deep and disfigured, and he realized he was very outnumbered when Remus and Sirius set their wands upon him. "What reason do I have to trust you?"

But Dumbledore took a step forward, an odd smile playing upon his lips. "Because Lucius, you know that this is the only option that will possibly save your life. Not to mention your wife and unborn child. For after he's finished with you, he may in fact act as a surrogate father to your boy. And I don't believe you _or_ Severus would appreciate that."

"How dare you imply such a thing! Narcissa would never-"

"Even if she knew it would save her boy's life? She just might, Lucius. Now please think better of your actions and lower your wand from my trusted friends, and your reinforcements."

Lucius shook his head, his rage had filled him from head to toe and Severus wasn't making a move to help him. He had looked shocked when Dumbledore had suggested that Narcissa would allow the Dark Lord to help raise their son, but hadn't moved to intervene. Had Dumbledore really sequestered his opinions and beliefs so quickly? Or was Lucius underestimating his abilities as a manipulative leader? He lowered his wand, and as he did Lupin and Black lowered theirs as well.

"I still don't like this, Albus!" Sirius growled. His wand was lowered but he still glared like he might toss a killing curse with the will of his mind.

"Quiet, Sirius! If you want to be part of this battle, you will learn to mind your tongue."

Sirius looked belittled by the comment, and at least turned his gaze away from Lucius for a few moments. Severus walked forward toward the trees. "Now I've warned you lot what to expect. It isn't pretty, and I sure as hell am not proud of them. When I was taught how to control the dead - I don't know what I was thinking, to be honest. I had thought he was a benefactor wanting to extend the knowledge of misunderstood practices - not a burgeoning Dark Lord who might want to use such skills against my friends."

Lucius couldn't believe what he was hearing. It was as though his friend hadn't only recently decided to go against the Dark Lord, but he'd privately rebelled his beliefs for quite some time now. For years - before Lucius and Narcissa had even been married! How had he never known? How had he not seen it in the very man he called 'friend'? He pulled his own mask off, "You can't tell me you were _that_ naive."

Severus glanced awkwardly at him, then resumed staring at his own feet - like a child who just was caught staying up past his bedtime. "It's not something I'm proud of."

"Well that's bloody obvious," Sirius snorted. "I don't know how anybody could be fooled by him. I could've told you from the very start that he wasn't exactly role model material."

"I guess you're just more perceptive than the rest of them, Black!" Severus growled, losing his meek posture entirely. "Pardon me if I don't bow down to your superior wisdom."

Sirius sighed, a smile turning his bushy mustache up. "I'll let it slide. This once."

Severus was growling deep in his throat, but Remus stepped forward. "Look we don't have time for this. Every minute we waste arguing here, the closer it gets to dawn. And from the briefing Albus gave me, I understand we have a very tight time limit."

Lucius nodded, pleased to see someone come between the bickering children, even if it was Lupin and not Dumbledore. He dragged his fingers through his hair in frustration. "Severus, you'd better go ahead and bring your army out. Let our 'reinforcements' get a good look at them so they're not puking throughout the fight."

Severus sighed, his shoulders slumping as he motioned for the creatures to come forward. Slowly they emerged from out of the shadows and tree trunks that made up the small forest. Only when they came full into the moonlight did Sirius lean down and vomit. Lucius could absolutely sympathize as well: that had also been his initial reaction. Remus on the other hand lost color to his face, and for a moment Lucius was concerned the man might topple unconscious to the ground, but Dumbledore patted him reassuringly on the shoulder.

Sirius shook his head, "Damn, Snape. I knew you were screwed up - but I had no idea how bad! I can't believe you made those things..."

"There's no point in berating him now, Sirius." Dumbledore seemed completely unfazed by their appearance and made his way past them without so much as a shudder. "We ought to be glad for the extra support. If The Maligned Hand is as numerous here as we believe, we'll need as much help as we can get, living or undead."

Sirius still gave Severus a glare as he walked past, and Lucius hung back to help his friend lead the undead army. He wanted to ask him more - to find out what he'd said to Dumbledore to make him want to allow the usage of inferi in a battle, to find out why the old fool chose Lupin and Black to be the Order members of choice, and, most importantly, how the hell he had prevented himself from getting killed in the process.

Dumbledore paused before he was even a yard past the tree line. "One thing I forgot to add," when he turned around his face was lacking that cheerful demeanor Lucius had grown to recognize. He almost didn't even look like Dumbledore at the moment. "Sirius, Remus: Neither of you is allowed to speak of this battle. You must not speak of this place, the people who were here, or the acts that are done here. There are more lives at risk than any of you realize. Lucius and Severus, this includes both of you as well. The Maligned Hand is far more underhanded than they've let Tom realize, and although I believe he suspected he might have been sending you two on a challenging mission, he did not realize how much of a suicide mission it really was."

"Even with the inferi?" Sirius sounded incredulous, and the fear in his voice reflected the terror they were all feeling. When Albus Dumbledore took the time to warn you of the dangerous battle ahead, and how secretive it was supposed to be, how could you not be terrified?

Dumbledore sighed, pushing his spectacles up on his nose. "The inferi, though quite powerful, have their own weaknesses. Remus: you should know that light magic in particular will be deadly to them. And since you are quite skilled at this method of magic, I want you to be able to use that offense as much as possible: meaning you'll need to be the farthest distance from the inferi. At least at first. Therefore you'll be one of the people I'm sending in to draw them to us. You and Severus."

"But won't Severus need to hang back with the inferi?" Lucius scoffed. "Won't that instantly cause a problem?"

Dumbledore smiled, that annoying half-smile that meant someone was going to get into trouble. "That's what we're hoping for, Lucius. The moment Severus is injured, his minions will rush in to defend him. And they'll _never_ be expecting that!"

Remus and Sirius looked at each other, fully aware of how ridiculous this plan was. Lucius was glad he wasn't the only one questioning Dumbledore's sanity. Severus meanwhile had merely nodded solemnly. He didn't seem to care how dangerous or crazy his part in this plan was, he only wanted to win. And knowing how deadly his friend could be when he was determined, Lucius didn't envy their opponents.

#

Dumbledore was leading the way to toward the pit that Severus had scouted out earlier. Black had decided to take up the rear behind the inferi, making sure that they kept up and as a defensive move in case they were spotted. That left Lucius in front of the inferi, a few paces behind the Headmaster and just within scent of the disgusting creatures Severus had called forth. If it was just the smell he had to deal with, this wouldn't have been as much of a problem, but he found the squishy noises and moans truly bothered him more. They were a constant reminder of just what was behind him, and he couldn't help but recall how quickly they had disarmed him earlier.

"We're getting close," Dumbledore whispered ahead, and Lucius had to strain his ears to hear him. He was about to ask him how he knew that, and then the scent hit him so quickly he let out a weak cough. He knew the source of course: the pit of muggle bodies Severus had found earlier. Dumbledore must have smelled them just a moment before he did, and as he looked around the Headmaster he frowned when he couldn't spot it ahead. The smell was this strong and they were still so far away from it. Lucius considered casting a bubble charm on himself. Then again, Dumbledore hadn't made any such movement, and Lucius would be damned if he allowed that pompous man to have a stronger will than him. Black of course was not nearly as subtle. He hacked loudly when the smell fully hit him.

"Oh damn!" He coughed again, "Jeez, is that the pit? Oh Albus, I can already smell it!"

"I told you we were close," Dumbledore sounded like he was quite amused by their suffering.

"How much farther do you think?" Black' voice sounded muffled, and it took a moment for Lucius to realize he'd pinched his nose closed against the odor. Kind of a simplistic answer, but likely effective. Lucius instead pulled out a handkerchief out of his pocket and held it to his nose. Bubble-head charm be damned - he wasn't going to sacrifice the clarity of his sight in the middle of a battle zone.

Then the trees became thinner and finally broke near the charred farm house. It was certainly a black skeleton as Severus had described it, and almost didn't look real against the pale white of the foundation. Off to the right he could see the red barn house in the distance. It was a good thirty to fifty yards away - Lupin and Severus would need to be quick on their feet if they planned to join them here without getting killed. Lucius swallowed, wondering not for the first time if it was wise to trust in Dumbledore's plan. The man was more than eccentric; he was outright crazy.

He kept up the pace though, and they moved past the charred remnants of the house and found the pit. It was circular in shape, and from this angle could have been an empty hole meant for burying construction trash. But as they got closer, Lucius could make out the pale body parts that filled it. They started about three yards down, and he realized looking over the edge that there was no way to tell how deep the pit was. It could be quite shallow, or it could go down for tens of yards. The bodies were still fully clothed, most of them with eyes looking upward to the starry night sky. He recalled seeing Rodin's _The Gates of Hell_ once at the Museum of London, a summer trip he and Severus had made when they were both students at Hogwarts. Severus had been ecstatic to see it, and it was certainly quite an impressive structure. The scene that had always fascinated Lucius was _The Thinking Man_ at the top, and behind him the writhing bodies all brought to life on that dark green bronze. The bodies beneath them now, though, weren't made of bronze or crafted by the careful hand of a muggle; they were the bodies of men, women, and children all dumped in this unceremonious pit like so much trash. The insects were the only creatures moving within, and one woman had her lacquered nails reaching upward with rigor mortis giving her the illusion of strength. Her blonde hair was still vibrant against the bodies around her and her eyes were glazed but open. The features looked nothing like Narcissa, but he couldn't help a shudder go down his spine.

He just about jumped when Black put a hand on his shoulder, "It's pretty bad, isn't it?"

Lucius nodded, giving a sidelong glance at him. Then he looked again, closer this time. Yes, he wasn't imagining it. Black wasn't pinching his nose closed, he'd transfigured something into an actual clothespin to clamp his nose closed. That had to be the most muggle form of magic he'd ever seen, and he shook his head quizzically. "Why did you do that?" He pointed stupidly at his nose, his eyes now unable to focus on anything else on the man's face.

Black shrugged, "Seemed like a good idea! And it won't get in my way when we fight." He nodded, giving a cocky grin as though his idea was pure brilliance and that was the only reason Lucius couldn't completely comprehend it. Then he turned to Dumbledore, "Hey Albus, we're not going to be hunkering down with the bodies here, are we?"

Dumbledore chuckled, having already made his way around the pit, and pulling out his wand. "Oh no, don't worry, Sirius. I wouldn't be so cruel." With a flick of his wand he lifted up a chunk of dirt behind the bodies and levitated it yards away and back into the woods before dropping it to the ground. "We'll use this instead. Sirius, if you could make it a bit more accommodating?"

Black nodded, making his way over and transfiguring a pile of dirt from within into a black tarp-like cloth to put on the inside. "That ought to help while we're waiting for them to show."

The inferi started making their way into the trench, staying toward the back at Dumbledore's command. Then Lucius hopped in, rolling his eyes and Dumbledore required Black's help to make his way down as well. Honestly was pretending to be an old, feeble man really necessary? Black held a hand as the Headmaster made his way down, nearly slipping once, and grabbing onto Black's side in reflex. At least he made it look like it was a reflex, but Lucius had his doubts. The man was obviously using the excuse to try and feel up Black, but apparently Sirius was already prepared for it. He had to wonder how often this sort of thing happened in the Order, and made a mental note to mention it to Severus when next they could talk. If he was going to get involved in this group, he needed to know that its leader was a bit of a grabby man. Of course, knowing how long he'd been staying with the Headmaster, Lucius couldn't help but wonder if it was already too late to give him fair warning.

Soon all of them were down in the freshly made trench, and the air smelled less like death down here, and more like freshly plowed earth. It was quite an improvement, and for a few minutes, Lucius was happy to forget that they had corpses both behind them milling about and in front of them in the giant pit. He took his wand and dug out a bit more earth to make a bit of a step up, allowing him to get a good view of the red barn. The place certainly looked deserted still, which was good. They had tried to be quick (even with Dumbledore's outrageous attempts at being feeble), and luckily they had been quick enough to get into position before Lupin and Severus could make their move. Of course they might have taken too long to get settled and the two of them could be trapped inside, intruders caught behind enemy lines. Lucius ducked down so that his eyes were barely over the top of the trench, his fingers clutching his wand to his chest. He pulled out his pocket watch and saw that it was nearing three in the morning now. Dawn was getting all the closer, and it had already taken them an hour to decide to work with the Order and get in position. The full battle would have to be quick. They couldn't delay here, and they couldn't take hostages. He considered mentioning something to Dumbledore and Black, but thought better of it. They might look down on him for his shrewdness, and creating animosity among wizards just before a battle was always a terrible idea. No, he had to trust in the fact that they were well trained and knew what they were getting into. He had no time to babysit them, and he'd seen both of them in battle before. True, he'd been on the opposing side during those fights, but he'd seen them at work. They were good, and he had to trust in that.

With a flash, lights started coming on around the farm house at the same time that the small red and white doors opened up above the main doors. Severus came flying out in a wisp of black and grey smoke, and the dangling feet were the only human pieces he could see. He must have been carrying Lupin then. The main doors opened next, and flurries of light came shooting out of the main door and from parts of the barn that looked solid. They must be windows then with concealment charms. It was a good thing they hadn't tried their luck with that defense. Once they hit the ground, Lupin was by far the faster of the bunch. Severus could have flown farther, but he was determined to be on the ground for some reason. Lucius wasn't sure why, but realized he must have some sort of plan when Lupin ran to skirt the pit of bodies, and Severus was running straight for it.

"Here they come," Dumbledore whispered, all the cheerfulness that had been in his voice earlier completely absent. "Ready yourselves."

#

Lupin was nearly to the pit and had spotted the trench they had made just beyond it. Severus was a few paces behind him, but would be reaching the pit soon. Then Lucius saw the big doors of the barn swing open with a bash that was audible even from their position, and dark figures were pouring out. Their pursuers were quick with the hexes, and though both Lupin and Severus were casting protection charms every few minutes, it was only a matter of time before one of them was hit. He wanted to assist them, and drew his arm back to prepare a hex, but heard Dumbledore's voice from behind.

"Not yet, Lucius. Give them a few more moments. We need the proper element of surprise."

He had his reservations about trusting the Headmaster, even more so now that he was commanding him not to assist his friend while he was clearly being assaulted. Then just as Lupin was halfway around the pit, Severus was struck with a hex – one that knocked him forward and headfirst into the pit of bodies before them. Lucius winced at his misfortune, but at least it hadn't been a killing curse. Then Lupin rebounded with a giant wave of a Patronus that somehow harmed as well as blinded. But Lucius found his focus distracted as he felt a powerful hand grasp hold of his forearm and use his body to find leverage above.

"What the hell-!" he cried out, but as he looked up he realized it was the half-bodied creature that had attempted to throttle him earlier. The inferi, he realized as an unbidden thought struck him: they would be trying to protect their master. Even as Lucius realized this, he dove aside just as the large fat one was about to use him as leverage as well. He had gotten out of the path just in the nick of time, and stared with wide eyes as the whole herd of them started emerging from the trench. Black was holding his arm - apparently one of the inferi had been insistent on using him to get out, even if it meant injury. The damned things were just as dangerous getting around you as they were when sicked on you. At least it hadn't been his dueling arm, but the blood that was pouring down the limb did nothing to make Lucius more at ease around the creatures. Finally the last of them left, and Lucius quickly returned to his place as the dark figures in the distance came to a halt in the face of the undead army rushing toward them. A few of them attempted hexes, but most knew what they were. They were mostly blood mages after all, and any self-respecting expert in blood magic knew a fair thing or two about necromancy, if the rumors were to be believed.

Black leaped up behind them, hexing with elemental magic as the inferi got closer to their quarry, sending lines of fiery light across the clearing. Lucius climbed out of the trench as well, grabbing hold of bits of grass to gain leverage. He crouched low as he peered into the pit of bodies before him. He saw not a single scrap of black cloth poking out, and there were so many pale limbs here and there that it was difficult to tell which belonged to Severus. Then the world lit up as Dumbledore sent streamers of light into the air to land on the enemies, giving off such a luminescence that it illuminated the bodies within the pit. Lucius leaned as close to the bodies as he could bring himself without retching. "Severus? Can you hear me?"

No response. Lucius began to panic. He considered using an Accio charm to pull him free, but was uncertain as to whether it would work on a person. He hadn't ever tried it. Then he watched as the woman who looked so much like Narcissa blinked at him. He thought it a trick of the light at first until her hand began to clench, her pink lacquered fingernails digging into her pale, dead flesh. Lucius backed up quickly, not even able to whimper in surprise as the bodies seemed to swell upwards. They were coming to life, he realized. And instantly his worry for Severus was renewed. Had he lost his mind? Bringing so many back after nearly passing out last time?

"Severus, don't be stupid!" He glanced up to the enemies who had somehow still gotten closer. The first wave of inferi had descended upon them, but with each swing of their limbs their fists hit against an invisible shield that glowed a deep crimson where they had struck. It was protection magic, likely more powerful against the inferi since it was a form of blood magic. Damn, they knew their methods well! "We don't have time for this, we need your help! And more inferi won't do any good."

But the bodies seemed heedless of Lucius, and started clambering out of the pit as quickly as they could, kicking their own kind in the head and stepping on their faces on their way out. Lucius kept scanning it, searching, hunting for his friend, but the bodies kept spilling forth. Slowly the contents of the pit dwindled, and in the distance Lucius could no longer even see the enemy for all the inferi in the way. Dumbledore, Lupin, and Black had fallen back, returning to the pit where most of the creatures were still originating.

"Is he alright?" Lupin called, the concern in his voice palpable. "Where is he?"

"I don't know," Lucius called out, still scanning the bodies for any sign of him.

Black took one look and shook his head. "Albus, help me remind Snape that he owes me for this, will you?" He handed Lupin his wand and then dropped himself in, pushing the inferi aside even with one injured arm. Lucius was not only shocked, but quite disgusted.

"Is he mad?"

Dumbledore merely laughed, though Lucius had no idea what was so bloody amusing about this situation. "I do think he is, Lucius. Quite mad indeed!"

He could no longer see Black for all the bodies that seemed to keep pouring out of the pit like an army of giant, bloated ants. Lucius looked back at the enemy to see they were literally swarmed with the inferi now, each of them beating like mad against the blood ward. It was incredible to see them at work, and if Lucius didn't know any better he would say that the inferi were winning. Though really, even inferi of this number couldn't break through a powerful wizard's ward.

"I found him!" Sirius cried out, pushing himself free from the bodies and dragging Severus behind him.

Lucius conjured a rope between Black's hand and Lupin, and then made his way over to assist Remus as he began pulling on his end. Slowly they dragged them free, though from the looks of him Severus had indeed passed out. Lucius didn't even want to think about what other possibility there might be. Finally they had Snape on the ground, and Sirius pulled himself to his feet. He was covered in numerous scratches and bite marks from neck to toe. Somehow he had managed not to get his face injured by a single one of them, how bloody ironic. Severus though looked far worse for the wear. His face was deathly white and his eyes looked sunken into his skull. His arm was still bleeding where he had first conjured the energy to summon the inferi, but it was also covered in human bite marks that made it look like little more than a bloody chew toy. Lucius started pulling back his sleeve to feed him, but Black grabbed his wrist hard, digging his nails in.

"What are you doing, you fool?"

Sirius' eyes were stone. "You'd call him to us? You filthy little cheat!"

Lucius blinked in confusion as he looked down his arm from where Sirius had grabbed him. He'd unknowingly unveiled his Dark Mark in the process of trying to feed his friend. Black had of course gotten the completely incorrect impression. "I'm trying to save him! Besides I wouldn't call _him_ here: it would mean both our hides!"

He tried to break his arm free of Black's grasp, but the man was stronger than him, and he knew it. He held firm and even took a step closer to him, his body tensed and ready to pounce. Sure he was injured, but Lucius knew the man could take him out if pushed into a physical fight. That simply meant Lucius needed to play his cards right.

"You'd call him here - after I just saved Snivellus' life? What kind of low-life Death Eater scum are you, Malfoy?" His breath had the twinge of alcohol meaning he'd likely been drinking before he came to Dumbledore's summons. Surely that hadn't dampened his sense of reason so completely though?

"Don't be a fool, Black! Didn't you hear a word I said?" Then Lucius noticed his eyes were indeed stone-set against him, but he wasn't looking at him, it was like he was looking past him at something else. His face was unflinching as well as his grip. He was under an enchantment, Lucius realized and he felt a cold ball of fear form in his gut.


	6. The Leader of the Maligned Hand

Sorry for the delay! Getting the rest of these chapters up pronto. :)

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><p>Chapter 6: The Leader of the Maligned Hand<p>

"Dumbledore! We seem to have a problem!" Lucius grunted, bringing his wand around to cast an Expelliamus into Black's chest. In retrospect he probably should have thought it through a bit better, because Black didn't let go of his arm even as the spell projected him backwards. He felt the wrench in his shoulder as Black went flying, and for a few moments they flew through the air as if they were doing some sort of aerial dance. Only when they landed did Black let go of his arm, and Lucius used the opportunity to roll away as quickly as he could. When he got to his feet, He saw that Lupin and Dumbledore were flanking on both sides, but Black was deflecting their hexes with preternatural speed. This had to be something more than an Imperious Curse, Lucius realized. Black had never been that fast at dueling - no wizard could possibly meet that speed. Then from behind him Lucius heard Severus mutter a few words, an incantation that he didn't recognize, and Black dropped his wand to the ground, clutching his head in agony. He fell to his knees like a man tortured, and Dumbledore was quick to take hold of the moment. He whispered a few words, and Black fell to sleep. Lucius wasn't quite sure what to make of it, but even as he and Lupin locked eyes, he knew he wasn't alone in his confusion. Dumbledore looked stern however, and he turned to speak directly to Severus.

"What did this to him?"

Severus was still on the ground, his hand cut open - and Lucius was worried to see he looked far paler than he should. But he wasn't showing the same weakness that he had at the graveyard. His eyes were wild and he pointed down into the pit, which was now disturbingly empty of the bodies that had filled it nearly to brim. "A creature I've never encountered before. It tried to do the same to me when I went in to increase our army."

"What did it look like?" Lupin was crouched at the edge, scanning the empty pit and placing his hand along the rim.

"Darkness, it was shrouded in it. More black than this bloody cloak. And its hands were cold and hard. It tried to strangle me." Lucius pulled him to his feet, noticing the slight trail of blood around his mouth. There was no telling if he'd fed from Black on their escape from the pit, or if it was from injury.

A shriek was heard across the field, and Lucius jumped, his wand outstretched in front of him. But in the distance the inferi were a moving mass of soiled flesh and grotesque innards. In addition to the fifty they had started with, there must have been nearly a hundred now. And even though the thing had attacked Severus in the pit, his pets had not moved to protect him. They hadn't seemed to even notice.

Dumbledore smiled, stroking his beard. "That would be the blood ward being shattered. Severus, your forces are far stronger than I gave them credit for. Excellent work." He sounded quite amused despite the obvious dire situation they were in. Black had not only been controlled by some unknown creature, but was now out of combat. Severus was down and likely seriously injured. Really the only fighters left were he, Lupin, and Dumbledore. And that pesky hoard of inferi that were ripping apart the remains of The Maligned Hand's forces, he couldn't exactly rule them out as used up.

"A shadowy creature with cold hands that can control a man's mind - does this sound familiar to either of you?" Dumbledore's voice was a hushed whisper, but Lucius heard his voice as though it was coming from beside him.

Lucius shook his head, and Lupin did the same. "Though if we consider that it also sleeps in the ground, specifically among the dead, that does add to our options," Lupin added.

"Does it really matter what it is?" Lucius scoffed. "If it's not in that bloody pit, then where exactly did it go?"

In unison Lupin and Severus turned to look back at Black's sleeping form on the ground.

"He might be hiding. Trying to wait us out until our defenses are down," Lupin breathed.

Severus leaned on Lucius' shoulder, "Or it's attempting to feed off of his magical abilities. Dammit, we need to get it out of him!"

Dumbledore nodded, "Remus, if you would be so kind as to aim your Patronus away from Severus and the inferi? The last thing we need right now is to have them attacking you as a perceived threat. And I don't believe Severus is strong enough yet to handle a full Patronus blast, do you Severus?"

He shook his head; dirt, blood, and other bodily fluids still clung to the black strands from his foray in the pit.

Lupin nodded, and then released his Patronus again, this time a slightly different shade of white. As the wave went over Black's body his eyes flung open and he let out an agonizing wail that made Lucius take a step back. Then from behind him emerged a shadowy figure that, within the light of the Patronus, proved not to be just shadow. Ragged bits of cloth hung off the creature almost like a fur. Then it flung an arm back, pulling the rest of its body out of Black's, and they were able to see its true form as the Patronus continued on behind it. Its head was covered in the whitest hair that stuck out at all angles and seemed to blend with the light of the Patronus. The arms and legs were completely bone, a skeletal body barely more put together than some of the older inferi behind them. Its face though, through some unknown cause, still had the face of a man, with a grey-blue skin that shimmered a bit too much for it to be a common corpse. No, this was something entirely magical, and most profoundly dark. Lucius could feel the energy coming off the creature in waves, a dark magic so powerful the Dark Lord would have perhaps shed a tear.

Lupin was the one to give it a name, "A wraith..."

Lucius gasped as the realization hit him. Those bodies that had been piled into the pit hadn't been there as a dumping ground for the muggles that The Maligned Hand had slaughtered. Instead, they were there to keep this creature appeased. Lucius had only heard his grandfather tell stories about wraiths, but they were supposed to be among the most feared of Dark Beings. They straddled the fence between Dark Beings and Spirits within the categories of the Ministry, and few wizards who had come across them were able to speak of them without a sense of fear and dread passing over them. They fed off of the magical life force of wizards and witches, and, if left unchecked, they could turn the most powerful wizard into a mere squib.

Dumbledore showed no shred of amusement now, and he stepped forward to put himself between the wraith and Sirius' fallen form. "We wish you no harm, but I would like to ask you a question first."

The wraith's gaze passed over each of them in turn, and Lucius felt a coldness creep into his fingers that hadn't been there a moment ago. "I will answer," its jaw did not move when it spoke, and it seemed to be able to project it from all angles so that it seemed to feel as though it had surrounded them. "But who speaks to me with so little fear? Surely wizards know what I am? I could feast upon each of you like I did those muggles."

"I am Albus Dumbledore, and I am the leader of The Order. You may have heard of us."

The wraith cocked its head to the side and considered him a moment. "No I have heard of no _Order_. I have heard of the pompous wizard calling himself Voldemort. You are harboring two of his followers. One of which was foolish enough to raise my sacrifices away from me. Both are simply oozing with Dark Magic ripe for the picking!"

Lucius felt his Dark Mark burn at the mention of the Dark Lord's name, but the cold was creeping up his arms. It unintentionally dulled the pain and Lucius reluctantly forced his hands into the pockets of his robe. It would mean being unarmed in front of such a dangerous creature, but he could barely feel the wand as it was. Severus was not far from him, but was sitting on the ground shivering from head to toe. The feeling the wraith gave off was reminiscent of the dementors of Azkaban, and Lucius wondered at how truly similar the two creatures were.

"You are no fan of Tom Riddle then?" Dumbledore probed.

The wraith didn't answer immediately; it just stared back at him, the pale white eyes bulging from its bony face like two glossy eggs. It could tell that the Headmaster was trying to ascertain more, and it didn't seem to appreciate it. Either that or the creature thought that by referring to a man named Tom, Dumbledore was merely joking with him. "The wizards you just fed to your inferi group, they were part of The Maligned Hand. I was to be used to protect them against Voldemort and his hive." It smiled, the face contorted to make it look even more inhuman since the skin was no longer pliable. "They thought that would be my price. I wasn't going to refuse."

"God..." Lupin whispered, having backed up to the line that Lucius and Severus were holding. "All those wasted! There were children with them!"

"Yes," it sensed Lupin's despair and seemed to relish in it. Dumbledore was in front of them, but the way he shifted his stance, Lucius was hoping he had heard enough.

"And what kind of price do you work for?"

Lucius blinked. He'd expected the Headmaster to be just as horrified as Lupin had been, but now he was taken aback. Did he truly plan to have dealings with this creature?

Severus apparently shared his shock, "Dumbledore, what are you saying?"

"You can't possibly plan to have it work for you," Lupin shook his head.

The wraith's disturbing smile widened, and the lips were forced back off the teeth, not from the force of the muscles in his face - for there were none - but by the sheer lack of skin to cover them. It was as though someone was standing behind it like a puppeteer and pinching the skin to make it look like it had emotions.

"What price?" Dumbledore asserted.

"I have quite a hefty cost, Albus Dumbledore, leader of The Order. Do you think a great wizard like yourself will do better than The Maligned Hand did?"

He nodded, "In a way, you and I are on a similar side. If you are still intent to go after Tom, we could certainly use your... skills."

Behind them the inferi had finished with their work and were now wandering aimlessly throughout the grassy field that separated the pit from the barn house in the distance. Lucius could see flashes of the gore and blood occasionally, but mostly he tried to stay focused on the creature ahead of them. If The Maligned Hand had been completely destroyed, then it was one less threat to them at this point.

"I was paid quite well for that task..." the wraith mused. "Though since you destroyed The Maligned Hand so thoroughly, I'm sure you can pay more. Double the headcount, and...double the number of _children_."

Lucius had to bite his lip against railing at the creature, even though Dumbledore actually seemed to be considering it. "You can't be serious, Dumbledore!" Lucius spat, "That creature will turn on us as quickly as it turned on Black down there. It's completely untrustworthy."

Dumbledore turned so that he had the group of them on his right, and the wraith on his left. "You think so?"

Severus gave a sad laugh, "The fact that you even have to ask..."

A bright flash of fire exploded over them, and then the wraith started screaming. The howls were enough to bring all of them to their knees, Dumbledore included. Lucius held his ears, but the warmth he felt leaking out of them told him it wasn't doing much good. The wraith's pitch reached even higher, and Lucius attempted to look up but the light around the creature was far too bright for him to even take a glance. His arms though were warming, and he could even feel the dull ache of the Dark Mark on his left forearm. For once, it was reassuring.

Severus hadn't been able to handle it, and had slinked into the pit where the bodies had been minutes ago. Lucius looked behind them and saw the bodies of all the inferi lying prone on the ground. The light emanating from the wraith had been so brilliant that it had destroyed any sort of life the necromancy had given them. Slowly the light began to fade, until the pinprick of it remained like a flashlight gone awry. It took a few moments for his hearing to return then slowly Lucius got to his feet, his legs trembling.

Lupin tried to approach it.

"Don't!" Dumbledore called out, and the tone he had sent shivers down Lucius' spine. Lupin of course froze in his tracks and even took a few steps back. "Do not approach it - not until it's completely finished!"

They obeyed, and the light lasted another minute or so before dwindling into the thick darkness once again.

It took a moment for his vision to return to him completely. Lucius had been so intent on watching that damn light that it was all his eyes would allow him to see for a few moments.

"What happened?" Lupin whispered, his voice low as though he was speaking out of turn.

Dumbledore laughed, pulling himself up to his feet and holding out his arm for his phoenix to land on. "Ah Fawkes! You do have excellent timing, my friend."

The bird allowed itself to be petted for a moment before hopping up onto the Headmaster's shoulder to perch. Then the pair went to help rouse Black. "Phoenix tears are the only way to stop a creature like the wraith. The healing powers are turned backwards when the tears are cried for hatred. Therefore he simply needed to be delayed until Fawkes could arrive and finish him off for us."

He waved a hand over Black's face and slowly the man's eyes fluttered open. "Mmm, what?" Then he grabbed his wand and started flinging it around him, as though he'd been roused by a potential attacker.

Dumbledore merely laughed, "Quite a dramatic turn of events, Sirius. Fear not, I'll be certain to share the memories with you later."

"You knew there would be a wraith here, didn't you?" Lupin was accusatory; not exactly the reaction Lucius had expected, but he posed a good question nonetheless. "You knew the danger, and that's why you let Severus create those... things."

"Very astute, Remus!"

Lucius blinked, remembering the image of his friend rolling in a black-robed blur into the pit where all those bodies had been lying. He made his way over to the edge and cast _Lumos_. At the base of the pit, he could just barely make out his shadowy cloak, refusing to allow the light from his wand to fully illuminate it. "Severus, are you alright?"

His friend didn't move, in fact didn't even seem alive from this angle. There was a deep gash on his right hand, and Lucius thought of the spell he'd used to distract Black so Dumbledore could push him into sleep. He didn't even realize that Severus had used blood magic for that incantation, and now he wondered how much blood he had lost in the battle. Not to mention the additional amount he'd lost to creating those inferi. "Dammit Severus," he started to try and pick his way down, but Lupin was faster. The bloody werewolf jumped in like it was a diving pool, and landed on his feet next to Severus without being even slightly injured. He pulled Severus into his arms then leaped up out of the pit in a single bound. It wasn't often that Lucius was reminded that he was in the presence of a dangerous magical creature, but this was definitely one of those moments. The other had been earlier that night when Severus nearly drained him dry.

Dumbledore leaned down to examine him, "He's lost quite a bit of blood... and he's badly burned. Lucius, this won't be easily healed. If Tom asks, you'll need to inform him that The Maligned Hand also contained a few talented Light Mages as well."

Lucius had completely forgotten that he'd need to give the Dark Lord a debriefing of this incident, but now that he noticed the sky was beginning to lighten ever so slightly in preparation for dawn. Judging by the severity of Severus' wounds, he would be doing the briefing on his own. His friend would just have to get the rest of the story later when he woke. He just had to hope Severus wouldn't compromise their story inadvertently.

"Very well." He considered for a moment thanking them for their help, but decided against it. The Order hadn't really been here to help them. It had been more focused on destroying a potential third party in the war, and taking out a very dangerous pawn. Instead, he held out his hand so Dumbledore could shake it. Say what they would, Lucius was not a man to let aid go by without some sort of gentlemanly acknowledgment.

Dumbledore smiled heartily when he shook his hand, and then pulled him forward to whisper into his ear. "And good luck to you both with little Draco! I'm sure he'll be a fine boy... when he arrives."

Lucius' jaw dropped as Dumbledore turned to leave. How the hell had he found out? Had Severus told him? Perhaps they had even discussed plans on how to deal with it. The Headmaster put an arm around Black's shoulder to steady him and then took hold of Lupin's arm. He nodded once before allowing Fawkes to apparate them away in a burst of flame, leaving Lucius alone with a very injured and unconscious Severus.

In retrospect, the entire evening had turned out better than he'd expected. They were both alive and they no longer had a herd of mindless inferi following them about. Lucius just hoped that the Dark Lord had been correct in his guess - that The Maligned Hand had indeed been behind Barnabus' demise. If not, he certainly wasn't looking forward to the next battle.


	7. The Other Boy Who Lived

Chapter 7: The Other Boy Who Lived

Lucius never noticed how very irritating the damned clock could be, especially when he was the only person around. The silence upstairs was maddening, and he wished there was something he could do to appease his nerves. It was nearly two in the morning, well into July 21st, and his son was grudgingly on the way.

It had started as such a quiet, peaceful evening as well. Lucius and Narcissa had sat down to enjoy an evening alone, and she had insisted that Severus join them as well. She had never truly been able to thank him before he and Lucius had been forced to run off at the Dark Lord's whim, which of course had been followed by that atrocious mission with The Maligned Hand.

The dinner had been brief, but started out enjoyable. Severus had been given a position at Hogwarts the following year, and was bemoaning the fact that he was denied the Defense Against the Dark Arts position. Lucius could already tell it was a heated topic he was sure to hear much about in the future. Then, of course, Narcissa's pain had come, followed by a mad dash to get her upstairs and then Severus slamming the door in his face. Honestly, whose wife and child were at risk here? And whose bloody manor were they in? Lucius took a long gulp of his wine, a dark merlot that he frequently swirled counter-clockwise.

It would be much easier if he could actually tell someone that his wife was in peril, how their son was on the way. He would merge the Black and Malfoy fortunes and estates into a single heir. But no, the boy had come when he was ready, and that just happened to correspond with the Dark Lord's death list. Besides, who put stock in prophecies these days except the Ministry? Everyone knew there wasn't a shard of truth in them. In fact, Lucius was still a bit shocked at the Dark Lord's reaction to it as though he was looking for an infant to kill.

Lucius downed his glass of wine and grabbed the bottle to pour another glass. When he tried to pour it though, there were two glasses appearing to take up the same place. Funny, he had sworn there had only been one before. Of course, he had gone through one bottle on his own, and this would be the second he finished off if he could merely pour it properly. Remembering his senses long enough to know that this was not a cheap wine, he snapped his fingers for Dobby instead.

The nearly naked house elf popped in directly in front of him, and in a drunken panic Lucius leaped a clear foot back. "Damn it, Dobby!" He cried out, even though it was a tad indiscernible from the wine.

The tiny creature bent forward almost to the point where his ears would touch the floor. "Dobby is most sorry, Master Malfoy! Dobby will be sure to punish himself most viciously later!"

Lucius rubbed his forehead with the palm of his hand, trying to calm his pounding head down and concentrate on why he had originally called the elf in the first place. It must have been about Narcissa - to find out how she was.

He pointed a finger at the staircase that led upstairs, "How're they doing?"

"Quite well, Master Malfoy! At least, they were when Dobby checked on them an hour ago." Lucius narrowed his eyes. An hour since he'd checked on them? Obviously Lucius would have to take matters into his own hands. He started toward the stairs, but Dobby pulled on his sleeve.

"No, Master Malfoy! Severus Snape said not to let you enter until he said it was safe! You must not go in yet."

Lucius backhanded the creature across the face, "Don't you _ever_ touch me, Dobby. Not without my express permission!" It's amazing how much louder his voice felt when he was drunk, he wondered if he could be heard across the manor.

"Dobby is so sorry, Master! Please - what should Dobby do to punish himself?" The elf started crying, and Lucius sighed.

"I don't bloody know! I'm trying to check on my wife. Go lock yourself in the closet for all I care, just stay out of my way!"

"Yes sir, Dobby will do it straight away." His sobs echoed in the hall for a few moments even after he had disappeared.

Lucius was able to take the first three stairs without much of a problem, but upon seeing that he had ten more to go before the landing made him nearly give up. Maybe Severus had known what he was talking about, asking him to wait until it was finished. But honestly, the elf hadn't checked on them in an hour. What if they needed him? What if Narcissa was begging to see him and he simply wasn't there?

He steeled himself and darted up to the landing, pausing to catch his breath against the banister. It wasn't the actual ascending that was a problem, but the dizzying feeling of moving from one foot to the next. He looked up the final flight, and thought of Severus, brow wet with sweat, and determination on his face, holding Lucius' newly born son high. He had to see it. He simply had to be there. He mounted the final flight with an impromptu battle cry, and didn't stop until he'd reached the impromptu birthing room.

He chose not to knock, and instead attempted to flatten his already mused hair, and let himself in as casually as possible. "Narcissa, how is it coming along?" He sounded as though she was organizing cabinets instead of birthing a child.

"Lucius!" Severus paused, holding a red mass of flesh that seemed to have a cord connecting to... to... Lucius suddenly felt faint. "What the hell are you doing here? Didn't I tell you to bloody well wait downstairs?"

"Oh hello, Lucius!" Narcissa sounded drugged out of her mind. Possibly a potion treatment Severus had invented for just such a purpose. She lifted a hand up and waved at him as though she were strolling down the street and not with her legs propped open by the birthing chair's stirrups.

"I... um...," Lucius looked to his feet, a flush coming over his face. He didn't know why he felt so embarrassed being here, it was his bloody wife and his bloody lover after all.

"Well since you're here, I guess you can help me. I don't know where that house elf went. I told him to fetch me a pot of warm water, and does he bring it? No. A pathetic creature if you ask me, Lucius. You should behead him."

"I... well that is..." Lucius' eyes were focused on the red mass in Severus' arms, and the tiny face he could make out. The baby's face was the reddest part, and his mouth was open as though he was shrieking at the top of his lungs.

"What's wrong with him?" Lucius leaned against the wall to keep from passing out.

Severus rolled his eyes, "I hate the sound of screaming children. And Narcissa doesn't care one way or the other. Therefore we're both happy, aren't we Draco?" He smiled into the baby's face, even as he let out another silent scream. A quick cutting charm, and a scurgify, and the red mass looked more like a child. He took a look at Lucius, furrowing his brows. "Better yet, why don't you sit down for a moment? There are some chairs over-"

"Don't mind if I do," Lucius whispered sliding his back along the wall until his rear met the floor. Narcissa was talking, but he couldn't quite hear her. The world was swimming and Severus seemed more annoyed at him than at the absent house elf.

"You know, I never thought married life suited you, Lucius. You're one hell of a bad husband."

He wanted to retort, but his head was swimming again and closing his eyes against it seemed like the best option. At least Narcissa was well and so was Draco. He was sure Severus would take care of things, for a few minutes at least. The man could be so bloody incompetent at times.

END

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><p>I hope you enjoyed this story! Please do leave a review as you go. I hope you enjoyed Lucius' shenanigans as much as I did. xD<p> 


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